Something Wicked Cool This Way Comes
by The Rhapsodian
Summary: Summary: rewrite of end of Season 6 /Season 7 and goes seriously AU. Buffy battles her feelings for Spike while another danger lurks in Sunnydale. A new arrival also complicates her life as well as simplifies it...
1. Chapter 1  New In Town

_**Setting: rewrite of end of Season 6 /Season 7 and goes seriously AU. Spike does not get his soul. Having a soul is highly overrated in my eyes. He did leave Sunnydale for Africa to get his chip removed instead, though. Therefore he doesn't go through the whole "hearing-voices-must-be-crazy" period. Tara is alive, I liked her too much, so let's just pretend Warren wounded her so badly Willow thought she was dead, and still went on a dark magick rampage. No potentials/First, but Caleb and the über-vamps show up later (I needed a cool baddie)... My muse may not always respect timelines of the Whedonverse. Deal with it.**_

_**This story is rated M for a reason. And a very good one at that. Expect blood, sex… sometimes mixed together. Proceed with caution.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the characters created especially for this fic. I will sometimes steal plotlines and quotes, but it's okay because I'm not making money from it. Joss rocks.**_

**Chapter One – New In Town**

"_**Heard you're new in town**_

_**Want someone to show you round**_

_**Well no-one knows this place just quite like me**_

_**Well I don't hang with the crowd**_

_**Where I go, we're dressing down**_

_**I'll take you where the music plays for free**_

_**So don't rely on people you meet**_

_**Cause no-one is safe in these streets.**_**"**

_**Little Boots, "New In Town"**_

Kevin stumbled out of the Bronze and waved his friends goodbye. No way was he driving in this state, so he started to walk. It was a good night for it. The sky was clear and filled with stars, and the air was warm. Unusually warm, actually, even for late September. But he was not about to start complaining.

Town center was quite busy, which was normal for a Saturday night. Everywhere, bars and restaurants had installed tables and chairs on the pavement, and Kevin smiled at all the couples groups of friends who were talking loudly, some laughing, some even singing. Night life at its best.

And yet, amongst all the noise, he somehow heard her…

A "hello" barely above a whisper, coming from an alleyway. He turned his head towards the sound. The first thing he saw was her silhouette, dark and perfectly shaped, like a paper cutout. A shape of flawless womanly perfection.

She was leaning against a wall. She did not need to say anything else. Kevin's legs started to walk towards her of their own free will. It never occurred to him that it might be a bad idea, that he didn't know this woman nor that she might be dangerous. She retreated further down in the alley, and he followed closely. He came closer still and could see a little more of her. She had dark hair and was dressed in a simple tank top and tight pants, all in white.

An hour later, if he had been capable of giving a statement, he would not have remembered much. All he could look at was her eyes, shinning in the darkness. Like two stars in the black pool of her silhouette.

It felt like a dream. Everything around them seemed blurred and unimportant. Something at the back of his mind was ringing a good dozen alarm bells, but the little devil on his shoulder just told him to enjoy the moment. Girls these days don't come along this easily…

When she grabbed him by his shirt, he did not care. When she slammed him back against a wall, and probably broke a couple of his ribs, he did not care.

When she dropped to her knees and started undoing his jeans, he did not care… about anything else. Then her tongue started to work up his length, and he was sure he had died and gone to heaven.

He had not died. But two minutes later, as his skin started to turn to liquid and he tried to scream, he realized in horror that he was about to…

The scream never passed his lips.

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

_I am NOT going to sleep with him again… never ever ever ever… I am not going to… oh dear God, who am I kidding?_

Buffy was supposed to be patrolling, and she was indeed walking at night in a cemetery. However, patrolling would normally involve some sort of attention-paying to your surroundings… and that was not the case…

For what occupied her mind was a certain blonde vampire, recently back on the Hellmouth scene. Home sweet home indeed! As if her life was not complicated enough, now she had to deal with a chip-free enamored serial killer…

Still she couldn't stop her mind from telling her that the night was still young, that Restfield was not so far away (ok, on the other side of town, but that didn't seem so far tonight…), that it seemed to be quiet all around and that she needed some action… Any action, really…

_Whoa, Buffy's mind, don't even try to go there! Thin ice on dangerous territory here!_

She was not going to Restfield… She was not going to his crypt… she was not going to tear his clothes off… _AAARGH! I need help!_

Ever since Spike had come back to the Hellmouth without the chip, Buffy had been in a near-constant state of panic, with a large side order of longing. He had told her he had thought getting the chip out of his head would help things, but it only seemed to make them worse. He had thought he could properly help her with her calling if every hit to a human didn't hurt like hell, but instead everybody in the Scooby gang was afraid of him. More than usual.

Everybody except Buffy.

Sure, she was worried about what he might do, to her friends or anyone else. But she was not afraid of him. She knew she should be, after what happened in her bathroom. She should be angry too, and in a way she was. But she also remembered the whole feeling of helplessness that had seized her throat when she had found his crypt empty.

As a result, she was torn between what she felt and what she thought she should feel.

_Okay, pros: loves me, will never leave my side, great fighter, demon in the sack (in a really really good way), always looking out for me, kisses like a god…_

_Cons: fashion-challenged, evil, friends hate him and will never speak to me again, evil, drinks waaay too much and too often, evil, heavy smoker, evil, __**tried to rape me**__… did I mention evil?_

So yeah, the pros were largely outweighing the pros… but why was she making a list anyway? It's not like she was considering going back to him… EVER… right?

_There's NOTHING to go back to! We never had anything! You Slayer, him vampire, evil vampire: NOT relationship material… why am I even thinking about this? Why did I even think up that word? What the hell is wrong with – _

_Oh._

She was in front of his crypt.

Without even realizing it, she had walked all the way to Restfield and to Spike's crypt. She had absolutely no idea how.

_Okay, Buffy's mind. You have issues. Serious ones. Seek professional help._

_Later._

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Spike was sitting in his comfy chair, watching TV. He was thinking about going patrolling later. Scratch that: he was thinking about running around every known cemetery in Sunnyhell in the hope of finding the Slayer, and somehow show her what a great asset he is to her life, preferably with a brawl against nasties involved, and try to make up for the horrid moment that had happened a few weeks ago.

Just to think of it made Spike's stomach squirm. He tried not to think of _**it**_ too often, as it would often bring tears. What he felt was beyond shame and self-loathing.

His first instincts had been to leave and never come back. Get the chip out, then roam the world as William the Bloody once again. Forget about Sunnyhell, forget about the Slayer, get himself a new gang and paint the world red. It had been a good plan. A well-thought one. And it could have worked…

… if every waking (and sleeping) moment wasn't filled with _her._

Her eyes. Her skin. Her touch. Her smell. And the absolute impossibility of ridding his mind of it all.

And the annoying little voice at the back of his head whimpering how if he made an effort, maybe he could make things right… just maybe…

He had to try.

For her.

_Bloody whipped poofter is what I am_, he thought. But even an unbeating heart has its reasons…

With a growl, he got up and switched off the TV.

He was going to grab his coat when he felt it. Her.

He spun around, and sure enough, there she was. He hadn't even heard her come in. Standing by the crypt door, she was standing dressed in black and a long white jacket, hair untied and covering her shoulders.

He loved it when her hair was loose. Like a luminous halo around her gorgeous face.

But the look in her eyes… so lost…

"Hi", he said softly, unable to articulate anything more.

After a moment, she answered. "Hey."

They just stared at each other for what felt like hours… drowning in each other's eyes.

"How…"

"You…"

Normal people would have laughed at the involuntary interruption of the other's, laughed then maybe fidgeted and talked about the weather.

They were not normal people.

Like in a dream, they closed the distance between them and their lips crashed in a furious kiss.

Oh, it was fire and brimstone indeed, that kiss! Their tongues danced together in familiar yet almost forgotten movements, rejoicing in each other's taste. Soft lips wrestled, both tender and impatient, getting all the contact they could. Their arms locked themselves around the other's neck, back waist, unwilling to stay in one place, pressing their bodies together to the point of near fusion.

Both lovers would have given anything at that moment for that kiss never to end…

But nothing is ever as easily obtained.

Buffy suddenly broke the kiss and stared at Spike with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Spike… don't hate me…"

She turned and ran out of the crypt, leaving him with just the ghost of an embrace… He stayed like that a few moments, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Then he just fell to his knees and punched the floor with a growl.

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Buffy kept running until she saw the cemetery gates. She leaned her head against the cold metal bars and let the tears flow freely.

It was so _wrong_! Because of what he what, what she was, what _he_ had done to _her_! Just wrong!

_I'm sick… sick sick sick…_

"_Don't hate me"? He should hate me! That would make things so much easier for both of us! Better if we went back to our killing-each-other ways! Like it's supposed to be! _

_But… but I don't want him to…_

Her mind and her heart were waging war inside of her, tearing everything in their path. It was a wonder she did not bleed…

However, something had smelled her blood anyway…

"Ssslaayyeeer…."

Buffy straightened up quickly and wiped her face. A vampire had managed to sneak up on her and was standing just a few feet away, in full game face and grinning. _Damn, I should have felt him ages ago…_

"You're her, right? The Slayer? Heard of you…"

_Oh, buddy, you so picked the wrong night…_

"Oh yeah? Heard that I was gonna wipe your headstone with your dust too?"

The vamp was clearly looking for a witty reply, but Buffy didn't leave him the time. She lunged at him and managed to land a couple of blows before he could react. He punched her back and tried to land a kick, but she dodged it with ease. She got her stake out of her jacket and tried to drive it home, but missed when the vampire jumped backward.

She was there when he landed, and kicked his legs so he would fall. He stumbled down on his legs and she tried to land another kick in his face, but he caught her foot in mid-flight and twisted it. Buffy lost her balance and fell flat on her back, loosing grip on her stake…

With another jump, the vampire was on his feet. He walked cockily towards her. Buffy scrambled the grass for her stake, and found it… several feet away…

He leered at her.

"So that's supposed to be the best Slayer ever? Looks like you're off your game!"

"You tried the best? Then try the rest!", said a voice behind him.

Out of nowhere, a fist sent the vampire flying. Buffy blinked a couple of times. A young woman had suddenly appeared in the cemetery, and was standing between her and the floored vampire.

"Hi, you're Buffy, right? Sooo pleased to meet you!"

Before Buffy could even think about greeting her back, the vampire was back on his feet. But apparently that wasn't a problem, because the woman was punching him again, once on each side of his face, and ended with a kick to the chest that sent him several feet away…

Buffy stared at her. She looked a little older than she was, had smooth palish skin, huge doe's eyes and sleek dark hair cut in a bob that gracefully flew about with her every move. Oh, and a mouth full of perfect teeth. She knew that because, although the mysterious brunette was battling a creature from hell, she was grinning from ear to ear.

The vamp, clearly taken aback by the apparition, did not know how to react or where to look. Instinctively, he just launched himself at her, all fangs out… and landed on the stake she had just brandished.

The newcomer found herself covered in vamp dust, and coughed a couple of times while brushing herself off. Indeed, as Buffy caught herself thinking, it would have been a shame for that outfit to be damaged or stained. She was wearing a super-stylish shiny purple padded jacket Buffy was instantly jealous of, and those sleek flowy black pants had to be designer label.

The newcomer turned to Buffy, who was still on the ground, staring.

"You okay down there?" the stranger asked, still smiling.

"Erm… yeah, I-I think so."

"Nothing broken? Split? Maimed? I'm only asking because you haven't moved…"

"N-no, as far as I'm aware I've got every bit in its place. Which is more than I can say for that vamp…"

"Haha! You're funny! I like funny! Look, I didn't mean to cramp your style or anything, it just looked like you needed a hand…"

"It's okay, the hand was welcomed. Thanks, by the way."

"No biggie. It's all part of the gig, right? I mean, he obviously took you by surprise, and since I was there, it's kinda like the oath for the doctors, ain't it? Help whenever or wherever…"

"Gig?"

"Well yeah… oh, I know, I shouldn't call it that, but it's like 'a rose by any other name', I'm not being disrespectful – "

Buffy raised her hand. "Sorry to interrupt the word vomit, and not that I don't appreciate the rescuage, but can I ask one question?"

"Sure! Fire away!"

"Who the heck are you?"

The stranger gawked, then laughed.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't introduce myself! I'm Gayle, Vampire Slayer. Friends call me Mama."

_**Send in the love... or the flames… anything! **__**Just pleeeease REVIEW!**_


	2. Chapter 2  Old Friends

**Chapter Two : Old Friends**

"_**Most friends fade  
Or they don't make the grade.  
New ones are quickly made,**_

_**Some of them worth something, too.  
But us, old friends —  
What's to discuss, old friends?"**_

"_**Old Friends", from the musical Merrily We Roll Along**_

First thing Buffy had done after buying Gayle a coffee was to call Angel. Wesley checked the prison: Faith was alright, alive and kickin' some inmate butt. So no panic there…

So where was this new Slayer from? Philadelphia, apparently, where she had been working as a nurse before she was called. They talked for about an hour, and while Buffy knew she had to be careful, she just couldn't find anything wrong with the girl…

She was staying at the Sunnydale Inn at the moment. Buffy thought it would be wise to have some research done (especially about Gayle's stylist) with the gang in the morning. She left out the important questions for now and gave the brunette the Magic Box's address, telling her to meet her there at nine sharp the next day. Buffy herself went home to get some sleep and hopefully her senses back.

The next day, after sending Dawn to school, Buffy called everyone for a meeting, not giving too much information yet. On her way to the Magic Box, had she paid attention, she would have noticed the headlines by the newsstand: _New Disappearance Of A Young Man…_

But as she arrived to her destination, she couldn't help her thoughts going to Spike and the kiss they shared last night…

_What does that mean about me? Am I deranged? A masochist? Why do I keep doing this to myself?_

She couldn't get the taste of his mouth out of her head. The way his tongue danced against hers. The way his arms strangely always felt warm around her. The way his eyes shone when he looked at her…

But then Reasonable Buffy's voice made itself heard: _Evil bastard who tried to…_

_Yes! I know! Nobody knows that better than me, OK? Could we please change the tune now? Could we just please – _

"Hi!"

Buffy spun, ready for battle, only to find herself facing Gayle, who was smiling as usual with all her perfect teeth.

"Oh… it's you", Buffy said, relaxing. "How very… punctual."

"Sorry if I startled you. You know, in my line of work, timing if often of the essence and…"

"Is this gonna be another word vomit, because I don't think – hey, that's a cute top!"

Gayle was wearing a bat-sleeved, loose-fitting white t-shirt with a faded grey Rolling Stones logo adorned with a multi-colored mock paint splatter effect. Buffy had never been a fan of the band, but the resulting design was so bright and summery, she could totally see herself wearing it, especially with the drop-dead gorgeous tight black pants and studded black ankle boots Gayle had added to the mix.

"You like it?" Gayle said. "You can borrow it sometimes, if you want, it would look totally gorgeous on you!"

"Totally! Designer label, isn't? Costs an arm and a spleen?"

"Hardly! Got it in the clearance sales at, like, a fifth of the original price. I never paid full price for any of my clothes."

Buffy stared for a moment. "You know, if you're the genuine article, you could be quite useful to know…"

"Oh, stick with me, girl, and you'll have a killer wardrobe for a penny in a month!"

Buffy couldn't help herself: "Promise?"

"Stake my heart!"

"You're officially adopted! Come in and meet the rest of the family! Oh I can't wait to see the look on their faces!"

Buffy took Gayle's arm and lead her through the door. At the sound of the bell, everyone looked up. Willow, Xander and Anya were sitting at the table, while Giles was filing some books. Buffy suddenly wondered if there was anything else he ever did in here…

"Everyone, this is Gayle Masterson. Gayle, the Scoobies. The Scoobies, Gayle."

Gayle gave smiled brightly at the group and gave a little wave. They smiled back and Willow even waved back, before glancing interrogatively at Buffy, who carried on the introductions very matter-of-factly.

"Gayle is from Philadelphia, she used to be a nurse at a children's hospital, likes Star Trek, old music, horror films, rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Oh, and did I mention she's a Slayer?"

The gang stared at the brunette, and a few jaws dropped. Gayle then turned to Buffy:

"You were right: they are pulling some funny faces."

Giles spoke first… or at least tried to: "H-how? What? Who?"

"Thank you Giles for this enlightening monologue. However, I would be interested in how _she_ is here. "

"I took a plane the day before yesterday.", the newcomer said.

Buffy winced and shook her head. "I meant how _another slayer_ is here."

"Oh my god!" Willow exclaimed. "Is Faith…?"

"I called Angel last night: Faith is still in one piece and breathing. So that's not that."

Gayle eyeballed the petite slayer. "Well I hate to break it to you, girl, but _you_ did die again, ya know…"

Buffy gasped. "Well thank you for reminding me! So?"

"Oh please! First time you died, Kendra was called, maysherestinpeace, then Faith. Everyone knows that! So what did you think would happen when you died again? That's how _I_ know I'm here… erm, well if that makes sense…"

"Not really."

"Ok, so one day late spring, this British guy shows up at the hospital…"

"Let me guess: chosen one, sacred duty, blah blah blah?"

"Yes! Exactly! You're good!"

"I think that's proof enough, Giles?"

"Well, it's…"

"Cool, then my next question: _why_ are you here?"

"Trouble ahead, evil's a-coming, etc… Watcher said so."

"Why didn't I think of that. Any idea as to what kind?"

"Nope."

"Of course not, wouldn't be fun otherwise."

"Eh, Buff?" ventured Xander.

"Yes?"

"We're still here."

"Oh, damn, I'm so sorry… Ok, Gayle, let me introduce you properly: the guy who just pointed out how rude and obnoxious I can be is Xander. That's Willow, she's a witch, I mean the good kind… By the way, Will, how's Tara?"

Willow smiled softly. Tara was recovering slowly after finally coming out of her coma. They had decided only a week after she woke up to move out to a place of their own and eventually get married once she was out. "Much better. Doc says she could probably come home soon."

"Brilliant. Tara is Willow's girlfriend, also a witch of the good kind, you'll meet her soon. She's at the hospital right now, long story. That's Anya, she owns the shop…"

"Nice place you've got here!" said Gayle with her trademark smile. "I love it already."

Anya smiled back, quite pleased with the compliment. "Thank you! I like _you_ already! Do not hesitate to spend money here!"

Both Slayers gave the ex-ex-demon an uneasy smile before Buffy spoke again.

"Dandy. And over there is Giles, my Watcher. First name Rupert."

"Hi!"

"Good morning. And welcome to Sunnydale, where I hope you'll have a pleasant stay, however unlikely. May I be so bold as to enquire who is your Watcher?"

Gayle's eyes went wide and turned to Buffy. "Does he always talk like this?"

Buffy gave her a tired nod.

"Gosh, so mine wasn't that bad... His name was Donald Hawthorne. He died, I'm afraid."

"I'm sorry. Was it a vampire attack?"

"No, he was run over by an ice-cream truck."

"Yeah, come on, Giles, stupid question! Of course it was a vamp, what else could it be?" said Xander.

Gayle glared knives at him. "I wasn't kidding. The driver was drunk."

"Oh…sorry. Really?"

"Yeah-huh."

"Oh…sorry." _Shut up now before inserting foot in opened mouth AGAIN…_

Just then, the front door opened and a dark smoking shape came in… Spike dropped his blanket, shook off the smoke rising from his duster and sleeked back his hair. Buffy's breath stopped dead in her throat. She fought back just in time the urge to run to him.

Spike saw her first. But did not see her reaction. They just stared at each other from a distance.

As for the rest of the Scoobies, while nobody really ran to his arms, nobody seemed surprised to see him. Xander was the only one to send him a dark look.

"Oh, wow!" whispered Gayle. "Hottie McHot just walked into the shop! S'cuse me…"

She walked towards Spike before Buffy had a chance to warn her.

"Hello! Welcome to the Magic Box, the one place for all your magical needs!"

When she heard that, Anya was impressed. She definitely liked that one!

Spike looked at the newcomer slightly surprised, and yet feeling a little smug when he saw her beaming at him. _Yeah, mate, you still got it…_

"If you need anything," she kept going, "do not hesitate to ask. I'm Gayle, by the way!"

She extended her hand and Spike shook it with a smile. However, Gayle's disappeared when she felt the cold of his touch…

"And… you're a vampire. Who just came in without any difficulties. And nobody reacted when I pointed it out." She turned to the gang. "Why is nobody panicking? And why did a vampire just enter the shop without being staked?"

"You know, I often wondered that myself" said Xander. "That's Spike, he's… mostly on our side."

"It's a vamp! How can he possibly be on… Spike? As in William the Bloody?"

"A.k.a. Scourge of Europe, yep. That's our Spike!" continued Willow.

"Oh My God!" She suddenly went into teen-meeting-popstar mode. She looked back at the slightly surprised vampire. "I have read everything about you! You're a frikkin' legend! I can't believe I'm standing in front of you!"

"Feelin's mutual, beautiful. Just who the hell might you be?"

"Did you just call me beautiful? Oh my! You did! I'm Gayle, and believe me this is an honor!"

"Course it is, and I heard your name firs' time, still doesn't tell me who you are though…"

Willow decided to come to the rescue. "Spike, meet Gayle Yet-Another-Vampire-Slayer. She's new in town and… apparently always in a disturbingly cheerful disposition."

"Hey Red. How's Glinda?"

"Glinda?" Gayle whispered to Xander.

"Nickname for Tara, Willow's girlfriend."

"Oh… can I have a nickname too?"

"Stick around, and you most likely will… whether you want to or not…"

"She's getting better", replied Willow. "She says thanks for the flowers."

"Flowers?" said Buffy, mouth agape. "You sent Tara flowers?"

Spike's face became tense. _Figures first thing she'd say to me in front of her mates would be in that tone… _"Yeah? What of it?"

Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Gayle's cheerful voice.

"This is so incredible! I can't wait to fight you!"

Spike turned to her. "Fight me? You already hate me? Pff, Slayers are forming a straight line…"

"… and… _going through a tight wind_?"

Spike stared at her. Could it be…? "_The kids are losing their mind_…?"

Gayle smiled and they both sang in unison: "_The Blitzkrieg Bop! They're piling in the back seat! They're generating steam heat –_"

They stopped when they noticed they were being stared at…

Buffy asked first. "What the hell was that?"

Spike tried to answer, but Gayle was faster: "It's a song by the Ramones, one of the greatest bands e-ver! Oh, and by the way, I resent the fact that you said I like 'old' music, I prefer 'vintage'."

For the first time in several days, Buffy saw Spike beam. Only it wasn't while looking at her…

"Erm… Buffy?" Willow interrupted her trail of thought. "I'm thinking, since Tara and I will be moving out, maybe Gayle could take up our room? You could do with the rent money…"

"Oh, Will, that's nice, but I can't ask – "

"I have money", Gayle said.

"Huh? How? Did you already get a job in the two days since you arrived?"

"No, but I have money."

"… again with the 'huh'?"

"Well, I only took up the nursing studies because I was bored, and I also wanted to feel useful. My parents were like, really well off, and left me a few shiny pennies. But I hardly spend it. I prefer when I get something for a bargain, makes me feel like it won a prize!"

Buffy gawked. "You're an _heiress_?"

"Ooh, I don't like that word! Makes me sound like Paris Hilton… and I have such a better wardrobe…"

Buffy was reminded then of their earlier conversation. "When can you move in?"

Giles cleared his throat. "Buffy, may I speak with you for a minute? Alone?"

He lead her to the training room. Buffy was confused: had she said something wrong?

Giles took off his glasses and started polishing. "Buffy I'm not so sure about this… we barely know anything about this girl, and letting her into your home may only…"

Buffy's eyes went wide. "What? No! No, no, no! I like her! She's funny, a-and she finds _me_ funny! And she knows fashion! Great fashion for little money! And she can pay rent! A-and she's a kick-ass fighter, and god knows we never get enough of those, a-and a nurse would be a great addition to the team, a-and… I wanna keep that one! Why can't I keep her? I promise I'll take care of her! Did I mention the fashion?"

"Buffy…"

"Pretty please?" she whined. And then did the most treacherous move: … she pouted.

Outside, Willow was browsing on her laptop, when Gayle sat next to her. "Whatcha doing?"

"Oh, just…" she's going to find out you're a geek sooner or later, might as well be honest now… "… looking to replace my cell phone so I'm checking out what e-Bay can do for me."

"Ooh, did you hear about that new 'Discovery' web phone? The one with the digital mini-pad included? It's great and I know where to find one cheap…"

Before Willow could voice her admiration at how such a cool-looking person could know about technology, Xander raised his hand toward the brunette.

"Is that the one that looks like Picard's tricorder?"

"No, I think it looks more like Janeway's."

Xander was in awe that a girl would know her Star Trek captains that well…

When Buffy and Giles came out of the training room, all the Scoobies (including Spike) turned to them with clearly smitten looks on their faces. Then they were assaulted by a clamor of "can we keep her?", "please let her stay", "we like her", etc…

Buffy looked up longingly at her Watcher with big puppy eyes. Giles sighed.

"You realize you'll have to take care of her and it's a big responsibility…"

Buffy cried out a loud "YAY!" and hugged Gilles, soon joined by Gayle.

Buffy let go (with gratitude from Giles' lungs) to face her new roommate. "This is gonna be awesome!"

"I know! And to have you as a mentor! And to think about all the stories you have about every baddy whose ass you kicked!"

"Well yeah, I bet you can't! There was the Master, but obviously you know about that one… There was Spike here, that… took a while… Erm, there was a demonic cyborg, he was tough… and a giant snake… oh, and just wait till I tell you what happened with Dracula…"

"Ha! Dracula! Good one!"

Gayle laughed heartily until she noticed the serious look on her sister slayer's face.

Her mouth gaped. "Seriously? Shut up! He's real?"

"Yep."

"And you met him?"

Buffy couldn't help but feel a little smug. "Yu-huh, sure did."

"Get out!"

"That's what I said!"

"This is so immensely awesome! A-and the fact that you have a team: way-cool! I mean, you have like witches, demons, and a supervamp? Can't wait to hear all about THAT happened!"

"Okay, well then, you may want to sit down and hold on to your chair, 'cos this is gonna be one hellish rollercoaster."

"Oh, don't worry, honey!" she pointed at herself: "Slayer who did her clinical year at a West Phily E.R. here! Nothing can surprise me anymore."

About an hour later, when the history of the past six years had been replayed for her, Gayle was staring at them in disbelief.

"Okay… erm… you know when I said nothing could surprise me anymore?"

"Yeah?"

"I was hugely mistaken."

_End of chapter two._

_**Okay, let's do the right thing : Spike and Gayle are singing "Blitzkrieg Bop" by the Ramones, one of my (and Spike's) favorite bands. For the Star Trek bits: all characters created by the genius mind of Gene Rodenberry. **_

_**I am not making any publicity for any kind of phone, I made up the one Willow and Gayle were talking about.**_

_**I know I said Willow and Tara are getting married and some of you are screaming about this being California, etc… Wiccans have a marriage ceremony called a Handfasting, it requires no legal documentation. OK?**_

_**See you for chapter three…**_


	3. Chapter 3 You Still Hurt Me

**Chapter Three – You Still Hurt Me**

_**I was scared to fix what I had broke**_

_**It's a lonely place to live with just a ghost**_

_**There is love left in my life, I will see**_

_**But you still hurt me**_

_**[…] I'm not comfortable with how the story ends**_

_**We were lovers and now we're not even friends**_

_**You were perfect and I guess I'm just a creep**_

_**But you still hurt me**_

_**William Fitzsimmons, **_**"**_**You Still Hurt Me**_**"**

That night, Buffy had decided to go patrolling with Gayle, to see exactly what the feisty brunette was worth. Willow had decided to move out that same day to go back to her parents' place, closer to the hospital, and had started house-hunting already. Knowing the red-head's determination when it came to matters of love, Buffy expected her to find something within a week, and have it settled for when Tara was released.

What Buffy hadn't been expecting was the sight in front of her right now.

Gayle, sitting on a tombstone, a steaming cup of Starbucks coffee in one hand and reading a newspaper to the light of a lamppost.

"So…" she started casually, "what does your horoscope say about your love life? You shall meet a dark stranger that will try and go for your neck?"

"Nah, that was two weeks ago, and he's dust now. But 'Work' says the same thing, ain't that weird? There's more to a paper than just fake fortune-tellers, Buff, and you should always keep up with the news."

"Urgh. You sound like Giles."

"Whoa, don't know what I did wrong to deserve that!"

"Tell you what: you can be my official newsreader. You can read the paper and tell me what's interesting in it!"

"Don't you have a TV for that?"

"Pff, where's the fun in that? So what's interesting, official newsreader?"

"Major sales to start next week at the mall…"

"See? This is working out already!"

"Horror flick with super cute guy comes out tomorrow… gelatinous fluids of an unknown nature found in alleys… senatorial elections… Tony Parker scored again… fifth disappearance in a fortnight…"

"Wow, rewind! What disappearance?"

Gayle looked closer at the article. "_'Kevin Martens was officially reported missing today after failing to return home following a night out with his friends. According to them, he decided to walk home instead of driving due this slightly inebriated state'_. Smart guy. _'This is the fifth in a series of missing young men since the beginning of the month…' _That relevant?"

"On the Hellmouth, it is. This, you should learn fast: anything that happens here, happens for a reason. Remind me to talk to the gang about that."

"Checked. Does Spike have a girlfriend?"

"_What_?"

"Oh, like you haven't noticed, he's like real hot!"

Buffy couldn't help herself. "Now, _that_'s not relevant, and _you_ can't be his girlfriend!"

"Huh? That's not what I asked!"

"It's what you meant!"

"Buff! Calm down! What's gotten into you? I'm not looking for a boyfriend, I was just saying! Gee, PMS much?"

_Yeah, Buffy, what's gotten into you?_

She shook her head. "Sorry. Guess I'm tired or something."

"Do you want to go home and get some rest? I'll patrol."

"No, I'm okay. And you don't know these parts like I do."

"Maybe not, but it's not like the place is buzzing with action."

"Well, hello, girls. Should you be wandering alone at this late hour?" a deep voice asked.

The Slayers turned to find themselves with a gang of half a dozen vamps, in full game-faces and grinning at them.

"Ask and you shall receive", said Buffy.

Gayle smirked. "I bet you I can take more of them than you can."

Buffy chuckled. "As if. What's the sta… the prize?"

"What are you interested in?"

"If I get more, that cute little pink sweater I saw you unpack is mine."

Gayle gasped, but quickly recovered. "Alright, but if I win… I get that little silver chain with the star pendant I saw on your dresser."

"What! That's one of my favorites!

"Well, you can always forfeit, I guess…"

"Hey, no way! But this is my turf, missy, and we play by my rules!"

"My, my! Anyone ever tell you how bossy you can be?"

"Yeah, but that's not the point!"

The vampires had been looking at each other, hardly believing what they were witnessing. Until one of them shouted "Hey!"

Both Slayers turned around. "What?" they said in unison.

"If we're bothering you, just say so!"

"Oh, gosh, sorry…" whimpered Gayle.

"We were kinda caught in the moment, sorry." Buffy added.

"Manners don't cost a thing, you know" the lead vampire said, a bit miffed.

The Slayers looked at each other with amusement, then back at the vamps.

Gayle said in a low voice: "Come and get us, boys…"

With a snarl, the vamps charged forward. Buffy and Gayle stood their ground and let them arrive, stakes at the ready. Buffy landed a right hook on one of them and avoided a retaliation punch. She caught the vamp's arm and drove her stake home before he recovered from surprise. As he exploded into ashes, she saw that Gayle had just dusted another one…

_Damn. Oh, but I won't make this easy for you, girl…_

The fight went on, both girls holding their own more than efficiently. Buffy had to admit, Gayle had style! But she was still determined to win the bet. As the number of vamps diminished, she found herself side by side with the brunette.

"I had more!"

"I think you'll find I did!"

As they started to bicker, a vampire came close, and in reflex, they landed him with a side-by-side hook.

They started giggling: "That was sooo cool!" exclaimed Buffy.

"This should be our signature move!" Gayle said.

The vamps tried to get to his feet, just as Buffy bent down and staked him.

"Hey, no fair!" Gayle protested. "You cheated!"

"Did not! I showed initiative! Pink sweater's mine!"

Gayle made a noise somewhat resembling a growl, but then smiled and conceded.

"So… did I pass your test?"

"Oh, yeah! You can totally patrol with me from now on! Maybe you'll even get as good as me…"

Gayle laughed.

They decided to call it a night and started to walk home. They never noticed the shadow observing them from behind a mausoleum, with eyes shining within a pool of darkness shaped like a human body.

"This should make things… interesting…" it spoke in a deep sensuous voice, barely above a whisper…

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Days passed, and Buffy came to a dramatic realization regarding Gayle.

She was FUN!

Every night, Buffy and Dawn would come home to a kitchen smelling so good their mouths would water from the front porch. The three of them then would spend the evening joking, talking about their day like it actually mattered, and having an altogether good time.

"I've seen you both just get a pack of junk food and go to your rooms or in front of the TV with just that. That's not good for either of you, but especially for Dawn! She's a growing teen, she need protein, lots of it, and vitamins and carbs, the good ones, and any allergies I should know about?"

Not only was Gayle an incredible cook, she was an amazing shopper and a great listener. The fact that she was a former nurse also meant she always knew what hailed them, and they could even talk to her about their "ladies' troubles" among others. On patrol, she and Buffy would talk for ages while kicking demon ass (and boy, could Gayle kick ass!) about boys, movies and shopping.

Gayle knew all the good internet plans to get great clothes for a few cents, and after a week in Sunnydale, she already had located all the great discount shops that sold fantastic fashion at cut-down prices. Buffy herself, after six years in the same city, had no idea such shops even existed… She also managed to get the electricity bills cut down by half and though the food bills had diminished as well, the fridge had never been so full. "It's easy, really: you take the second to cheapest of any product. It's the same quality as the big brands and healthier than the bottom price ones. Also always hunt for package deals and never underestimate the power of frozen food!"

"Have I mentioned I love you?" said Dawn once.

"So many times I tune it out now…"

It was like having a mother, big sister and best friend all rolled into one!

One night, Gayle was getting dinner ready for Dawn as Buffy was selecting movies for later. The Scoobies were due later for movie night. Xander was bringing a pizza and Willow popcorn. Buffy had invited Anya, but God only knew what she was bringing. She had mentioned the disappearances to the gang a couple of days earlier, but the only common factor between the victims was that they were all males under twenty-five. Not enough to go on with.

That night being a school night, Gayle had decided that Dawn should have a proper meal and go to bed early. Buffy had agreed, all too amused not to be a single parent anymore…

"This is unfair!" she cried out "I'm way mature for my age, and I always have movie night with you guys!"

"Yeah, I'll believe that," answered Gayle, "and hence the shadows under your eyes and those grades in algebra!"

Buffy chuckled.

"Buffy! You're supposed to defend me!"

"Sorry, Dawn, I'm relinquishing power for a while. And it feels gooooood!"

"Still! Why can't I get pizza like the rest of…"

Gayle placed a plate of Cajun chicken and grilled vegetables in front of Dawn.

"… okay, this looks absolutely scrumptious, but the teenager in me is still rebelling! For good form!"

Gayle smiled softly. "I thought you were 'way mature for your age'? Oh, and by the way, I've done your laundry too, I've folded everything on your bed, but you'll have to put it away."

"What are you? Martha Stewart on crack?"

"Martha can only wish to ever look this good. Sit, eat. Don't make me feed you."

"Seriously, how are you doing all this? I swear, it's like having Mo…"

She stopped before the rest of the M word passed her lips, but both Buffy and Gayle knew how that sentence almost finished. An uneasy silence settled between the three girls. Buffy and Dawn were suddenly washed over with memories of Joyce. Her voice, her smile, her love… And Gayle felt awkward. She had never meant to replace their Mom. She sure hoped they were not going to take it that way. She just wanted to take care of them as much as they were taking care of her.

"Hum… your veggies are getting cold, darling. I'll get you some juice to go with that."

Dawn sat down and stared at her plate. Slowly, she picked up a fork and started eating.

Forty-five minutes later, the mood had thankfully lightened as the Scoobies arrived. Turns out Anya had decided to bring chocolates, to everyone's delight. They were settling down when the doorbell rang.

"Ha!" exclaimed Gayle. "I was wondering if he was ever going to turn up!" Before anyone had a chance to ask, she was opening the door. "Hi, Spike! You're late, you know!"

"Sorry, pet, had a bit of a scramble on the way."

Buffy gasped, and Xander almost growled: "What's Evil Dead doing here?"

Spike stepped in as Gayle started to laugh at the moniker, but stopped when she saw Xander's look. "Erm… well, I invited him… I shouldn't have?"

"No, you shouldn't have! What were you thinking?"

"B-but… he's always helping and…"

"You're not welcome here, Spike!"

Spike considered him for a second, then looked at Buffy who had yet to say a word. "Do you want me to leave, Buffy?"

Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Xander: "Yes, she wants you to leave! Of course she does! It's bad enough she had to see you at every fight and meeting! Can't you leave her alone in her own home?"

"I asked Buffy, not you, whelp! And since my invite has not been revoked yet, I'm officially still welcome!"

"Guys!" Buffy intervened. "'Buffy' is standing right here!"

"Sorry pet. Got carried away."

"'Carried away'?" Xander snorted. "Way to minimize the facts! You're not going to get back into Buffy's bed that way, bleach boy!"

Buffy shot him a dark look that he missed. How dared he make decisions for her? Or spread out her private life this way in front of everyone.

Gayle gasped. "Oh my gosh, you two have history? I had no idea…"

Spike growled. "Harris, I've said it before, I'll say it again: you talk too much, and that's gonna get you into trouble…"

Xander walked towards Gayle. "Gayle, you wanna know what kind of 'history' we're talking about? Well, Captain Peroxide here tried to _rape_ Buffy, that's what happened!"

"_XANDER!"_

Everyone turned towards Buffy and the anguish in her scream. Her face was a mask of rage and she was fighting back tears. "Out. Both of you. Just get out."

Xander looked sheepish. "Oh God, Buffy, I'm sorry…"

I said out! Now! Movie night is over. Just… just get out!

Making her way through the foyer, she made for the stairs and went to her room. The silence amongst the Scoobies was deafening. Without a word, Spike went through the kitchen and through the back door.

The remaining girls glared at Xander. Realizing his own stupidity, he grabbed his jacket and left the house too.

Willow, Dawn and Anya went upstairs to comfort Buffy.

Gayle was left alone in the foyer.

"Boy, have I opened a can o' worms…"

She hesitated for a second, but then followed after Spike. She found him sitting on the back porch steps, silent and smoking. She sat next to him.

"Come to give me another earful, have you luv?"

"Actually, I was kinda wondering if I could steal one of these…?" she said pointing at his cigarette. "And please don't lecture me about how it's gonna kill me or something like that. I mean, come on, in my line of work, I risk death at the hands of something much worse every night."

Spike looked at her and arched an eyebrow. Then he smiled.

"Not such a goody two shoes as the other ones, are you luv?"

She smiled back as she took the cancer stick he was handing out. She placed between her lips and the blonde vampire lit it for her with his faithful Zippo.

"Everyone has a dark side as well as a light one", she said between puffs. "You have two choices: either you ignore one of them and suffer, or you accept both and find balance. Easy."

"Is that right." asked a skeptic Spike.

"Yep. So… unrequited love, huh? Or is it just 'complicated'?"

He gawked and tried to find something to answer that, but couldn't. So he just stared at his shoes.

Gayle kept going. "Look, I ain't gonna sugar-coat it. I ain't gonna tell you it's gonna be ok, that all will work out in the end, or any of the rom-com crap. Because I'm not a fortune teller and I have no idea what will happen. All I can say is… you're not alone."

He glared at her. "Wha' d'ya mean? Did you even hear what was said in there?"

"Yeah, I heard. I've got good ears. Good eyes too."

She stared at him, trying to convey a message through the silence.

"Look… I'm known to be a good listener, and my shoulder is trained for receiving tears. And people seem to be comfortable around me. It's like I send out a signal that only hurt people and stray dogs pick up on. Maybe I should have been a shrink. And I know from personal experience how much of a bitch love can be. So, before this turns into another word-vomit, y'know… if you need to talk about your shit… y'know. I'm here."

Spike could hardly believe what he had just heard. The girl barely knew him and had just discovered the worst about him, and yet she was offering him comfort? And a Slayer at that? When had he slipped into Opposite World?

"Thanks for the offer, pet, I'll keep that in mind."

"Okay, cool. So, I've been here for a few days now. I got most of the good addresses for essentials, like food and clothing, but… any good bars or clubs around here? Like, with pool tables and decent music?"

This time, Spike was just gob smacked. _Oh, that soddin' does it: I bloody like that one!_ "What kind of a nurse are you?" he said with a wide grin.

Gayle winked. "The cool kind."

_End of chapter three._

_**Okay, so not much happened here… still… please send me some love, it make my life worth living.**_

_**A disclaimer? Sure, here it goes: I own it all! Buffy, Spike, the Scoobies, all mine! … until I wake up tomorrow…**_


	4. Chapter 4 People Are Strange

_**Hey everyone! Thanks for the lovely reviews, they mean a lot. So some of you are worried about Gayle, whether she's actually evil or if she's gonna go after Spike. Well… do you honestly think I'm gonna tell you? This soon? I've got about twenty chapters to go yet! I'm trying to go along the usual construction of a Buffy season, so the mystery will only be lifted muuuuch later, with lots of action and detours along the way. As for Spuffy steam, well, there's a little appetizer in this chapter. And for the L-word, be patient: these two have been through a lot, they can't work it out from one day to the next… And I've got to keep you on your toes, don't I? Mwah-ha-ha-ha…**_

_**This chapter is a bit longer than usual. Sometimes I just can't seem to be able to stop. Let me know if it's too much or boresome. That little steamy bit? Was not planned. It just sorta wrote itself before I could stop it. And I apologize for the lateness in updating, but I broke my ankle last Sunday. I've got a splint and crutches and everything. The pain is kinda distracting. Anyway, lemme know what you think…**_

**Chapter Four – People Are Strange**

"_**People are strange when you're a stranger**_

_**Faces look ugly when you're alone**_

_**Women seem wicked when you're unwanted**_

_**Streets are uneven when you're down**_

_**When you're strange, faces come out of the rain**_

_**When you're strange, no-one remembers your name."**_

_**The Doors, People Are Strange**_

It was high noon, and Buffy was standing in front of Spike's crypt. _This ends now_, she thought, and walked decisively in.

She found him slouched on his armchair, watching TV. He got up when she entered, surprised to see her. His button-down shirt was hanging open, revealing his perfectly chiseled, definitely lickable chest.

_Okay, maybe not "now"…_

"Hello, Buffy."

"Spike. Erm. We… we need to… we need to talk."

He nodded. "Yes. Would you… like a drink? I have a few soft drinks stored up…"

"Really? Why?"

He looked at her with that which made her realize she'd just asked a stupid question…

"Erm, yeah, drink would be of the nice."

He nodded and motioned her to sit down. There was only one armchair there, so she propped herself up on a sarcophagus. When he brought her a can of coke, she realized what a mistake that was.

The sarcophagus had brought her to his eye level, and, more importantly, lip level. All she had to do was move a little forward and…

_No!_ her mind screamed. _Focus, damn you!_

She took a deep breath and opened her can. She took a long sip while surveying him. She could tell he was in the same state, because his breathing was short and shallow. He only breathed when he was feeling a strong emotion.

She took the plunge. "About the… other night…"

He looked at her with a worried frown. Which other night? Was she talking about when he had tried to…?

"Xander was out of line."

He sighed in relief.

"But he wasn't entirely wrong…"

The frown was back. But he had known that, in time, they would have had to face the facts.

"It is… hard for me to have you around…"

"Hasn't exactly been a walk in the park for me either, kitten."

"Don't call me 'kitten'." _Why not? You like it when he does_… "What I was saying is, when I look at you, I…"

Her mind trailed off. She _was_ looking at him. At his expectant face, at his beautiful eyes, his sensuous lips…

The temperature got up a couple of degrees… Spike wondered why she had stopped talking, but then he saw her dilated pupils… and started to feel himself going hard.

Slowly, he got closer to her, expecting her to push him away at any moment. She didn't. Hypnotized by his gorgeous face and the love filling his eyes, she didn't move. He held out his hand to cup her cheek. She let him. His fingers then glided along the column of her throat…

She moaned.

All bets were off.

He leaned forward and caught her lips with his own. Buffy's body went straight to auto-pilot and her arms around his back, pulling him closer. Her mouth opened to receive his tongue which started immediately an intimate dance with hers…

His hands moved down her sides and slid under her top. The contact of her skin made him just hungrier for more. He broke the kiss to attack her throat, letting his tongue and lips work their way down to the crook of her shoulder, where he suckled and nipped at the skin with blunt teeth. Buffy moaned again and arched her back, pressing her breast against his chest. She hooked her fingers in his hair while her other hands trailed down his back.

Spike was lost in the feel of her. His hands were moving all over her body, and one of them found its way under her skirt. He pushed her underwear aside and slid his fingertips along her folds. She was wet and gasped at his touch. She moved her hips forwards, almost impaling herself on his fingers. He wrapped his free arm around her waist to steady her. He slid two fingers inside her and started massaging her clit with his thumb.

She bucked against his hand. He began pumping and she thrust to meet him. She knew she wouldn't last long, he was too skillful. But she wanted him so bad, she didn't care. Why had she come here again? Don't know, don't care…

Spike started pumping faster, and his breathing became shallow. He kept watching her, wanting to see her face when she came. She was so beautiful when she came, abandoned, glowing, and her mouth forming a perfect little O. God she felt so hot on his hand, he was certain he was going to catch fire at some point.

She bucked harder and faster. And suddenly, a powerful climax hit her like a tidal wave. As she cried out, her cries were muffled by his mouth, and she kissed him back with passion as she rode out the remnants of her orgasm.

She clung on to him by his shirt as she came down, and he held her tight. It was so good to be in his arms again. She breathed in his scent, like leather and spices… So good…

"Oh my sweet Buffy…" Spike whispered, kissing her hairline. "Love you so much…"

Reality came crashing back. Buffy's eyes went wide when she remembered suddenly why she was here. She roughly pushed Spike off her and he tumbled to the floor. "What the heck is wrong with you? I came here to talk!"

He stared at her in disbelief. "Me? You're the one who… that… We were both in this!"

"When exactly, when I said 'We need to talk', did you hear 'please make with the handjob'?"

"Oh, like you hated every minute of it!"

"That's so not the point!"

"Isn't it? Did I force that one on you too?"

Her face fell. Spike inwardly falcepalmed himself. Buffy jumped off the sarcophagus and smoothed down her clothes.

"Jesus, Buffy, I'm sorry…"

"No, it-it's okay… look, tell you what, just be at the Bronze tonight. We'll talk then." She started walking towards the door.

"Kitten…"

"Just… be there." She left without meeting his eyes.

Spike felt the familiar pinch in his unbeating heart. Despite everything… she was still afraid of him. He punched the sarcophagus she had been sitting on. His knuckles bled without him noticing…

Buffy was walking briskly out of the cemetery. _Good plan… Fetch Dawn from school, go home to Gayle's cheerytude and go to the Bronze later… Yes, the Bronze… in front of that many people, I might not be so tempted to jump his bones and we can really talk…_

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

On the first floor of the Summers house, in the guest bedroom, Gayle Masterson was crouching on the floor and crying, heavy sobs rocking her body back and forth. When she heard the front door open and Dawn call out "Gayle? You in?", she took a deep breath and shouted "Yeah, upstairs!" in a cheery voice. As the teen made her way up the stairs, Gayle quickly got up and went to her mirror.

"Come on. Get it together, girl. Get it together." She wiped the remnant tears and put on her usual smile. She then went to opened her door to both the Summers sisters who had just arrived on the landing.

"Hey Mama Gayle!" said Dawn in a cheery tone and a hug. "Were you asleep? You have bed-hair."

Gayle absent-mindedly ran a hand through the treacherous locks, still smiling. "Yeah, actually, and you interrupted just as Johnny Depp was about to kiss me, so this better be good, young lady!"

Buffy laughed. "Oh, honey, I know the feeling. I think that French chick has a pretty strong hold on him, you know…"

"Only because he hasn't met me yet. Was there a point to the kissus interruptus?"

Buffy's brain was suddenly overrun with images of another kiss… She blinked to regain control. "Erm, we were thinking of going Bronzing tonight, with Willow and Anya, just us girls. You interested?"

"Sure, why not. What's bronzing?"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Gayle had said she would do a quick patrol so that Buffy could really have the night off, then would join them at the Bronze. Willow and Anya had joined the Summers sisters and were having a really girly moment in choosing each other's clothes and doing their make-up.

"So I found this, ever-so cute lil' one bedroom apartment near the town center," Willow was saying, "it's got great western exposure and a balcony. But it's a wee bit pricey, so I asked to meet the owner to see if we could negotiate."

Anya's head snapped round while she was applying her lipstick. "Do you want me to come with you? If it's in the building I'm thinking of, I think I might know him and he owes me a favor…"

"Oh, Anya, that would be great! Wait a sec, you don't like me, what's in it for you?"

"Xander has been explaining to me that 'word-of-mouth' concept. Sounds like a disease to me, but hey, it's good for business. You get all your witchy friends to come and shop at the Magic Box and we've got a deal."

"Consider your will be done! Magic Box has now total monopoly. Buffy, what's that on your neck?"

"Huh?"

"Is that… a hickey?"

Buffy flew to her mirror to check herself. Sure enough, right at the base of her throat, Spike had left his mark… "Oh, erm, no, it-it's just a normal bruise… patrol was a bit rough last night…"

"Really? Gayle seemed okay…"

"Gayle got the easy ones. You ready? Then let's go."

Willow understood the underlying truth: ask me no questions and I'll stop lying. So she dropped it.

When they got to the Bronze, a poster on the door informed them that it was an open-mike night.

"Cool!" exclaimed Dawn. "Can I sing, Buffy? Please?"

"Why not. Just don't make me do it too."

Bad things happen when I sing… so bad they feel good…

When they came in, a girl was already on stage and rocking the house. She was moving like she had done that her whole life and had an incredible voice, a mix of Bette Midler and Shirley Manson. She was dressed all in white, tight pants and flowy shirt, and her soft hair flew gracefully about when she moved. She looked a lot like…

"Oh my Gosh, guys, it's Gayle!" exclaimed Anya.

Buffy's jaw dropped while Willow's eyes doubled in size and Dawn squealed. It was indeed Gayle. She seemed too comfortable on stage for it to be her first time too.

"_When you're strange, faces come out of the rain / When you're strange, no-one remembers your name / When you're strange / When you're… stra-a-a-ange." _She really sang beautifully. The audience was captivated.

"Whoa" said Buffy. "So that's yet another thing she can do."

"She's really good" Anya joined in and leaned in towards Willow. "What's that song?"

"Not sure… I think I heard it in some eighties vampire movie – Oh I get it! Fun-ny!"

The song ended and Gayle bowed. She got a roaring, standing ovation. And amongst the joyous clappers… was Spike.

Buffy's breath seized in her throat. Spike was there. He was clapping. He was _smiling_. That genuine, confident, happy smile that she had not seen him wear in such a long time.

He was smiling at another woman.

He could have slapped her in the face, it would have hurt less. But why did it? She didn't love him, he was his own vampire, and if he went after someone else, wouldn't it solve all their problems?

Gayle waved at them and left the stage to join Spike at his table. She had a drink waiting for her there, so obviously they had been together before. She motioned the girls to join them, which they did.

"Gayle, you were awesome!" chimed Dawn.

"Thank you honey! That's nice of you to say!"

"I didn't know you sang" questioned Willow.

"Oh I used to be a choir girl, when I was a kid, it kinda stuck! But I almost didn't dare, Spike here had to push me a little bit."

"Yeah, but I din't know you could do it! I pushed you for a laugh only, but you rocked, pet!"

"Sooo…" ventured in Buffy, "… you guys came here together? What happened to patrol?"

"No, Spike was already here when I arrived. And I did patrol! Place was dead! Well, you know what I mean…"

"How? How did you manage to go home, get ready without us noticing and get here before we did?"

"Buffy, these are the clothes I left with! I wore a long coat to keep them clean, and I always carry a little make-up bag, I did my make-up when I got here! What's with the funny looks?"

Buffy straightened up. "Erm, nothing. Good job. Very efficient. Spike, can I speak to you for a second?"

Spike nodded and followed her. The girls joined Gayle at her table and ordered drinks. Buffy and Spike sat at a table by the stairs, ironically the same one they had chosen when she had ask him to recite his Tale of Two Slayers.

"I see you brought the girls. Safety in numbers, pet?"

She ignored him. "Okay, one? This afternoon? Will never happen again."

"Yeah, kitten, I already gathered that much…"

"And two: I want you to stop coming at Scoobie meetings. It-it's not your place, a-and it's difficult for me to… have you there… like nothing happened."

She had meant their affair, but Spike misunderstood and thought she was talking about his attempt to rape her.

He frowned and pain filled his eyes. "Buffy… I'm not asking you to forgive me … and I know I can never make up for what I did to you … But could you at least… let me try?"

Buffy tried to calm down her heartbeat. "Spike…"

"Look, I know, alright? I know you'll never love me, especially now. But if I can't be with you, could you just let me fight beside you still? Let me help? Please?"

She lowered her gaze. So many things she wanted to tell him, but couldn't. She needed her sanity to come back from vacation, and soon. She couldn't possibly be with him.

_Ha! 'Couldn't', not 'won't'!_

_Shut up!_

Spike looked at Buffy, and how she was avoiding eye contact. He sighed. Of course she would refuse. It was bad enough that he had imposed himself into fighting with the Scoobie Gang, bad enough that he had come back without even asking permission. Bad enough.

He got up and started to put on his duster. Buffy looked at him, confused.

"S'alright, kitten, you don' have to say anythin'. I'll… just leave. I promise you'll never hear from me again…"

"What? _No!_"

That last word had gone straight from her heart to her lips, before she even realized.

Spike stared at her. "But… I thought…"

"Spike, I don't want you to leave!" _there it goes again, came out without me knowing it… I really got to keep myself in check…_

"You don't?"

"No!"

"Why?"

"Because… because…" _Because the simple thought of not having you in my life would ever kill me or drive me insane!_ "… because it was bad enough that you left once, when I needed…" _you with me_ "… your help, when Willow went baddie, and I could need you again!"

He smiled. "So you'll let me help?"

"Yes! No, I mean… sometimes, yeah."

The smile disappeared. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"That… when I need your help, I'll let you kno –"

"Sod this." Spike got up and headed for the back exit.

Buffy panicked and went after him. "Spike, wait!"

" For what? You to get needy? So I'm good enough to get you off but not be a part of your life or you precious gang? I just have to wait around until you whistle? Like hell!" He opened the back door and stepped into the alley.

Buffy followed closely. " Spike, you have to understand…"

"No, Slayer, I can't be your damn lapdog again! Think I hurt you bad? Well think about what I had to – _BLOODY HELL!_"

Spike had stopped dead in his tracks as he was about to step into… he had no idea what! Next to the dumpster was a large puddle of some gelatinous-looking… goo. It looked at the same time like jelly and slime, in a kind of pinkish color with hues of red.

What was scary was the size of it (it could easily have filled a bathtub) and the smell. A smell both of them knew all too well.

Rotting flesh.

Buffy's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh my god, what is that?"

"Ain't got the foggiest, but it certainly is not s'posed to be here! Get the others!"

Buffy disappeared inside the club and was back with the rest of the girls five seconds later. Their reactions were similar to her own: they were totally grossed out.

"Oh my gosh, it's awful!" cried out Dawn.

Anya got over the disgust first. "Okay, let's not panic here! Maybe somebody got really drunk and came back here to barf! It happens sometimes, right? Right?"

Gayle raised her hand. "Um, guys? You're probably gonna think a lot less of me for admitting this, but… I've seen vomit, in lot of different shapes and sizes. That's not vomit! In fact, I've never seen anything like this!"

Buffy took Willow's arm. "Will, do you think this could be a spell of some sort?"

"What kind? 'My-purge-be-done'? I don't think so, Buff, but I would tend to agree with Gayle: I don't think it's vomit… Don't even think anything human did this…"

"Oh man!" Gayle exclaimed. "Remember that article in the paper a few days ago? _'Gelatinous fluids of an unknown nature found in alleys'_? They've been found all over the town center! It must be one of those!"

Willow nodded. "Could be. I'll take a sample for analysis and we'll find out." She took a tampon out of her purse, dabbed it in the puddle and wrapped it back in the plastic wrapping.

"Nice improvisation, Will!"

"Thank you! I saw that on TV! Sometimes you do learn useful stuff in there."

They went back inside the club, except for Gayle, but it was clear the evening was over.

"You alright?" she asked Spike. "It looked like you and Buffy were arguing…"

"I'm fine. Me an' the slayer were just… brainstorming. You wanna go back inside, luv?"

Gayle gave a non-committal shrug, then started to balance from one foot to the other, like a kid wanting to ask something embarrassing.

And it suddenly dawned on Spike just what it was.

"You want that fight, don't you?"

She did a little jump on the spot. "Yes please! Can we? Please please please?"

Spike smiled, amused. "Yeah, alrigh'…"

"YES!" Gayle clapped. "This so cool! I'm gonna fight William the Bloody! I'm actually – _Whoa_!"

Spike had just thrown her a fast-paced punch, which she blocked at the last second, catching his fist in her graceful long hand. "Tried to get me by surprise, did ya? Ain't gonna happen, mister!"

Spike was actually impressed. Only Buffy had ever been able to parry that particular blow…

"Come on, then, pet… let's dance!"

The sparring began.

After only a couple of blows, Spike decided to take of the brakes. Gayle was too good to go easy on. She managed to block or dodge every blow he threw at her, and he had a hard time staying on top of the fight too. She moved a little less gracefully than Buffy, and was more rigid, but still, the girl had style! But what disturbed him slightly was that her trademark smile had turned really predatory since the beginning of the fight…

He could tell she was enjoying the fight, but she was almost enjoying it too much. She fought like she was getting to something else. Like she really aimed to win, even to kill. Like he was an appetizer. Like…

_Like a bloody vamp!_

Gayle was human, he knew that, heartbeat and all. And there was no doubt she was a Slayer, because of her strength and agility. But the way she fought… this was not duty for her. This was not just a calling. She was totally at peace with what she was and what it might bring to her, namely an untimely end. With that part of darkness inside her…

Just like he was.

The blows became stronger, the attacks more vicious. And Spike was loving every second of it! It had been a long time since he had had a worthy opponent… In fact, the last one had been Buffy. He delighted in the fight, managing to get a lot of stress and doubt out of his system… He felt on top of the world once again, like in the days when he had been one of the most feared vampires around. He felt…

"What the hell?"

Both vampire and Slayer brutally stopped the fight. Buffy was staring at them with knives in her eyes.

"I came back fearing you two had run into some kind of trouble, and here I find you _fighting_? _Each other_? What is this about?"

"She started it!" protested Spike, then inwardly kicked himself for acting like a child.

"I did!" Gayle agreed. "I did start it! I'm sorry you got worried, Buffy, really, but come on! A chance to fight William the Bloody? I had to…"

"You had to nothing! Okay? You're in my town, sister, and you don't just fight anyone without asking me, okay? My turf, my rules! Haven't you gotten that through your skull yet?"

Gayle could only stare at her, horrified. She then heard Spike growl.

"And what about me, Slayer?"

Buffy turned her head to face Spike. "What?"

"Do I get to fight or playfight with anyone I want? Or do I have to ask for your bloody green light every bloody time? Am I on your fucking leash? You migh' want to tighten the collar a bit, pet, I can feel it coming loose."

"Spike, that's not what I meant…"

"Bollocks! That's exactly what you meant! But I'm not game, Summers, not anymore!"

And he stormed off.

Buffy bit back her tears. _Fine._ She spun around and started to walk home.

Leaving Gayle alone yet again. She let out a loud sigh, then took a cigarette pack and lighter out of her jacket and lit up. _Those two really are blind when they should be mute. They've got it way bad._

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Buffy was sitting on the back porch steps, which seemed to be the official place for self-reflection. She was wondering if she had truly lost Spike tonight. If it mattered. Why it actually did.

So she was addicted to him. Big deal. She only had to stop seeing or talking to him and she'd be fine in no time.

_Yeah, you can stop anytime you want, right?_ her brain mused.

She tried not to pay attention when she heard the kitchen door open and Gayle came to sit beside her. Great. Lecture time. But Gayle didn't say anything. For a while.

Finally, Buffy turned her head to see what the brunette was doing. Nothing. Just staring at the stars.

"You gonna come to the talking part of this conversation anytime soon?" Buffy said irritably.

"Actually, I've been racking my brains for a good witty way to start said conversation. Can't find one. So I'll just mime it." She opened her arms out to her.

Buffy glared at her, but Gayle had a look of such tenderness and compassion on her face, that she just gave into the hug and cried.

Gayle just held her, not saying a word, until Buffy had cried her last tear. Then she just rocked her softly. "Rough day, huh?"

A nod.

"You wanna talk about it?"

A head shake.

"You wanna get some ice cream?"

"I love you, Mama!", the blonde slayer said, looking up.

"Of course you do. Who doesn't?"

_End of chapter four._

_**Trivia time: Willow was right, the song Gayle sang at the Bronze ("People are Strange" by the Doors, see introduction) was covered in 1987 by Echo & The Bunnymen as part of the soundtrack of one of the most awesome vampire movies of all time: "The Lost Boys", directed by Joel Schumacher. Rumor has it that the lead villain, David (played by Kiefer Sutherland, whose father Donald played the ill-fated Merrick in the original BTVS movie), with his rebel attitude, bleach-blond hair and long leather coat (need I say yum?) was one of the inspirations for Spike…**_

_**Thank you to the lovely people who put this story in their favorites or alerts. Still, I would love to have a few reviews from you guys, to let me know how I'm doing… Won't take you long, I promise!**_


	5. Chapter 5 She Will Be Loved

**Chapter Five – She Will Be Loved**

"_**It's not always rainbows and butterflies  
It's compromise, it moves us along  
My heart is full and my door's always open  
You can come anytime you want**_

_**I don't mind spending everyday  
Out on your corner in the pouring rain  
Look for the girl with the broken smile  
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile."**_

_**Maroon 5, She Will Be Loved**_

"Gayle! Get your ass over here now!" shouted Buffy while trying to hold her own against two vampires.

"I'm a lil' busy at the moment!" grunted Gayle bent over a tombstone and struggling with a horned demon weighing down on her axe.

One vamp caught Buffy from behind and held her fast by the shoulders while his friend advanced on her. Buffy sent him a high kick using the impromptu support from the vamp behind her. She then head head-butted the latter, who let her go with a groan. "I could really use a hand!"

"Yeah? Well I could use two! Oh, two!" Gayle had a flash of inspiration and kicked the demon between the legs. He let go of her axe to yelp and grab his shortcomings for protection. "Hey, whaddya know? Works on demons as well!" Gayle got to her feet and in one graceful move, cut off her opponent's head. She got to Buffy's side just in time to see her dust one of the vamps.

"Oh, well, see? You didn't need me in the end!"

Buffy Frowned. "What the hell kept you?"

"Hey, you're not the only one fighting here! I also had my hands full!"

"You had one demon, I had two vamps!"

"My demon was bigger than your vamps!"

"Err… s'cuse me?"

The Slayers looked at the remaining vamp that had just interrupted their almost-argument.

"So… just which one of you is the Slayer?"

"Oh, we both are!" Buffy said with a little hand gesture designing them both. Gayle smiled and gave a little wave.

The vampire's yellow eyes went wide in horror. "There's _two of you_ now?"

Gayle chimed in. "That's right! You could actually say it's even double the fun – hey, come back here!"

The vampire had just disappeared in a running blur into the shadows.

Gayle stomped her foot. "I don't believe this! We finally get some action after nearly a week of nothing, and the bloody bastard runs away! No fair!"

Buffy stared at her.

"What?" asked Gayle, raising an eyebrow.

"You said 'bloody'…?"

"Oh… I did, didn't I? Sorry, must be spending too much time with Spike…"

Buffy's blood froze in her veins.

"Rewind that for a second: you're… spending time with Spike?"

"Yeah, we often go out after patrol… We haven't been fighting, Buffy, I swear, I did 'get that through my skull' after the last telling-to you ever so gently laid out on me! Not even play fighting! Haven't laid a finger on the guy, promise!"

"Then… what have you… been doing?" she asked nervously, dreading the answer.

"Mostly going to the Bronze for drinks. Oh, and we play pool, too, he's really good at it. I used to play a lot of pool back in Philly, I kinda missed that."

"So that's why you're so often out… But… you… buddy with Spike?"

"Kinda, yeah. We talk a lot. But he hasn't found me a nickname yet, so I'm not sure we're that close…"

"What do you talk about?"

"Stuff. You know. Music, movies, books… did he tell you he's been to Thailand? He's learned most of his fighting skills there! I'm like sooo jealous, I've always wanted to go to Asia!"

Buffy frowned. No, he hadn't told her that…

"Are you… meeting him tonight again?" she was so relieved when she replied:

"Not tonight, no, I'm beat! Come on, let's go home, I'll make you some hot cocoa. I'll make it up to him next time by buying him a round, just hope he won't get rat-arsed on it, I'll have to carry him to his crypt…"

"Gayle?"

"Mmm?"

"'Rat-arsed'?"

"Oh god, I'm doing it again! Good thing I get the night off, I'll be speaking soddin' cockney next!"

They left the cemetery. Two silhouettes watched them leave from the shadows. One of them asked wearily:

"Does this change anything?"

"… no, no it won't. I'm just surprised about this Slayer business. I was not expecting _her_ to be here, though in truth, I shouldn't be surprised… It might make things a bit more complicated. More difficult."

The other silhouette cooed in a soothing voice: "Do not fear, my love. I will not let them stop us. We might need a little more time, but soon the Hellmouth, and everything under it, will be ours."

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

The next day, Buffy had told her roommates that she was going shopping, but had declined their company, pretexting a need for "me" time. It being a sunny Saturday, Gayle was taking Dawn to a car boot sale further down on Revello Drive. She had explained that car boot sales were often an infinite source of "bargainy treasures".

This one was no exception.

"Hey look!" Gayle exclaimed. "A _Clash on Broadway_ box set. And in good condition too. I'm sure Spike would just love to have that."

"You're buying gifts for Spike, now?"

"He's been a bit down lately, I just think it might cheer him up."

"Yeah, well, it's fifty dollars, so unless you can flash the cash…"

"Oooh, my darling girl, how badly you know me. Watch and learn."

She walked decidedly towards the young man responsible for the sale. Dawn followed, intrigued.

"Hi!" Gayle said while shaking the man's hand, her trademark smile plastered on her cheerful face. "What a lovely day for a car boot sale! You the person responsible?"

"Yes miss, I am. I'm Dylan." he answered, clearly smitten.

"Nice to meet you, Dylan." She showed him the box set. "This yours?"

"No, it belonged to my father, God bless his soul. Had a whole punk period going on in the 70's. It's a good price for it, you know."

"Oh I know! It's real cheap for what it is! Or at least it would be… if it was the real McCoy."

"I'm sorry?" gasped Dylan.

Dawn's eyes went wide. Gayle turned the box set over and showed Dylan something at the bottom. "See this? It says this was released in November 1991 by Epic. But the real box set was released in May 1992 by EMI."

"Huh?"

"I used to work for EMI. Basically, what you have here is a big fat fake. The FBI tracks those down, you realize…"

Dylan was dumbstruck. And a little scared…

Gayle continued. "I know. I realized you must be so disappointed… not to mention worried. Now me? I'm not a fan of the Clash, but my friend from France likes them, and she's leaving tomorrow for her home country. So, I'd be delighted to take this off your hands… but I don't have forty dollars…"

"Oh my God… erm, sure… erm… is twenty too much?"

"Five."

"Ten."

"Nice doing business with you, Dylan", cooed Gayle while handing the poor Dylan a ten-dollar bill. He took it gratefully, and she went back to Dawn.

"Wow, that was… a-amazing! I didn't know you worked for EMI!"

"I didn't."

"Huh? But then… how did you know it was a fake?"

Gayle checked that Dylan was out of hearing range, then looked back at the teen with a smirk and an arched eyebrow.

"Fake?"

A beat. Then Dawn's eyes went wide in realization.

"Oh my God! That's like… oh you are sooo bad!"

"So bad I'm actually good. Like so many 80's movies. Come on."

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

"Why are you going out with Gayle?"

Buffy had just busted into Spike's crypt. The vampire had just been enjoying an afternoon nap in his underground home, and was still trying to wake up properly following his ex-lover's wake-up call.

"Umph… 'Afternoon, Slayer… Fine day isn't it, yes I did sleep well thank you, wonderful dreams, mostly about you and me starkers… did you bring me brekkie?"

"Spike, I'm serious!"

"You always are, and right now so am I. You wake me up so rudely, you could make up for it!"

"I'll make up by not beating you to a pulp! Now answer the question!"

Spike sighed, now perfectly awake. He sat up and looked straight at Buffy. "It's always threats, with you, right Slayer? You know, I wager you'd also have had an answer by simply asking politely… Now, what's this about the newbie?"

"You guys have been going out! Every night! Together!"

"So?"

"'So'? I wanna know why! Are you trying to charm her to win her over to your side?"

"Wasn't aware I had a side. As for charming her, I'll be honest with you, I don't think I'd have to try very hard…" Buffy raised her fist but he stopped her by holding out his hand and smirked. "… but no, I haven't been. Yes, we've been going out, but only in the friendly sense. The girl's good company and plays wicked pool. Now, you wanna tell me what this is really about?"

Buffy frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Just that. What's it to you if I spend time with Lil' Miss Perfect? I told you I wouldn't be asking you permission to do anything… or anyone, for that matter…"

She punched him.

"_Ouch_! Jesus Christ, Buffy, what is your problem?"

"Do you need to ask? You are my problem Spike, always are!"

"Obviously! Except this time I haven't actually been doing anything wrong! Just admit you're jealous and stop taking out your bloody frustration on me!"

Buffy clenched her teeth. _Jealous?_

She turned on her heels and went up the ladder. Spike sighed, then grabbed his jean and went after her. When he got to the upper level, she was nearly at the door…

"Buffy, I'll stop seeing her if you want me to!"

She stopped, and slowly turned to face him. "What?"

"I won't go out with her anymore, if it bothers you so. Just say the word."

"What happened to 'won't be a damn lap dog anymore'?"

He shrugged. "Wishful thinking. Truth is, Slayer, I'm your soddin' slave, whether I like it or not. Love you too much not to be anything else. It pains me to admit it, but it's true. I'll do anything you want."

She stared at his face. It just radiated love and worship. She believed him. God, why did everything have to be so damn complicated?

Her eyes started welling up. "Spike… I can't be with you!"

"I'm not asking you to be!"

"No, you're not! You won't! A-and you shouldn't, cos it would be just… too darn wrong!"

"I know that, pet."

"But… I don't want you to be a lapdog, because that would be even more wrong! And I know I have no right to tell you what to do or who to see, or vice-versa, but… You never told me you'd been to Thailand!"

Spike chuckled. "There's a lot I haven't told you, love. Mostly because you haven't asked."

"See? That's wrong too! You've known me the longest, but you talk to _her_! You get your chip out for me, but you fight with _her_! A-and she likes you too! And I shouldn't care! It's all so wrong and-and… _why the hell am I jealous if I really can't feel anything for you?"_

She nearly collapsed in pain, but Spike caught her in the nick of time. They found themselves on their knees, him with his naked arms wrapped around her, and her crying with her head nestled in the crook of his shoulder.

They could not be together. It all came down to that, and they both realized it. Too much had happened, and too much would be happening. But above that, they couldn't bear to be apart. Somewhere, somebody was playing with their hearts, and it would end only with their deaths…

Spike held her while she cried. Then he felt her shift. He looked at her: her beautiful green eyes were staring at him, full of pain and… something else he did not dare identify.

"William?"

He twitched at the use of his real name. "Yes, my love?

"Would you hate me if I kissed you right now?"

He smiled wryly. "I could never hate you for anything."

And so their lips fused. She opened her mouth under his pressure and received his tongue against hers. That kiss was different. It was still needy and demanding, but softer, more passionate. They lost themselves in the tenderness of the moment, of that perfect instant during which they could pretend that nothing outside this kiss mattered. For just a few seconds, they could be each other's, and let their love –

"Hey Spike, you'll never guess what I f-_WOW!"_

The kiss stopped and the lovers looked at the cause of the interruption. Gayle had just stumbled in the crypt and was staring at them, eyes and mouth wide open. She stayed like that for a bit. Then she waved.

"Bye!"

She abruptly spun around and left. Buffy quickly got to her feet and ran after her, not even glancing back at Spike who just sat there dumbfounded.

Gayle was walking briskly, muttering to herself. "Gayle, wait up!" Buffy called, but Gayle kept going. When she managed to catch up, Gayle was still muttering with a haunted look on her face.

"Why didn't I knock first? What's wrong with knocking? Knocking would so have been of the good, I should really learn to knock, it's rude and impolite not to, stuff happens when you don't knock…"

Buffy seized Gayle by the arms and made her face her. "Gayle! You're doing it again!"

"Doing what?" said Gayle more than asked, startled.

"The word vomit! Please come back to earth, you're gonna run out of oxygen!"

"Sorry! I'm back! I'm so sorry I didn't knock!"

"It's okay! Well, not really but… about what you saw…"

"You mean the thing that's burning my retina as we speak?"

"Yes, about that…"

"You and Spike! Totally all over each other! This is huge!"

"It's really not a big deal…"

"Huge!"

"… yes, he is – I mean, it is, but it's not what it looks like…"

"I mean, I knew he… you, but I didn't know you… him!"

"I don't!"

"Then what's with the smoochage… Oh…"

Gayle's face fell.

"Oh, Buffy, this is wrong…"

"I know… him vampire, me Slayer… this is against everything we…"

"What? I'm not talking about that!"

"…You're not?"

"Buffy, that would be like telling you can't date a guy because he's Black, or republican! Not me, that! No, no, no! This is me telling you about playing with the man's feelings! He loves you, dammit!"

Buffy scowled. "How can you say that? It's totally different! We kill vampires, what is wrong with you?"

"Okay, one: don't you dare make this about me, it's not, you know it, you're just trying to alleviate the guilt, stop it. And two: please get your priorities right! If we just killed vampires, Angel would be dust. We hunt evil. And Spike's not evil!"

"Spike is standing right here…"

Both Slayers looked in the direction of the crypt where the deep voice had come from. Sure enough, there he was, leaning on the doorframe, shaded from sunlight. He had put on a button-down shirt but had left it open, revealing a muscular chest that Gayle couldn't help but stare at for a second. "And please try louder, luv: I don't think they heard you in Paraguay."

Gayle felt sheepish, but would rather eat glass than let it show. "I stand by my words. You're not evil."

"Now, let me make this clear to you, pet: I'm an evil, rude m…"

"Yeah yeah yeah, and the whole world's got to answer right now blah blah blah. I'm kinda having a conversation right now?"

"Oi!"

"Just get back in, Spike!" said both slayers in unison.

Spike growled… then complied. Gayle looked back at Buffy.

"Right, so, three:" she pointed one of her long fingers towards the crypt, "yum! And finally, four…"

Her face softened.

"Buffy… what's wrong, baby?"

Buffy stared. "Me?"

"Yeah you! Who else is blowing things out of proportion when they could be so simple here?"

"I'm blo – Hey, I'm not the one wearing the rose-colored glasses! Why do you care anyway?"

"Because that's who I am, Buffy! I need to have everyone around me happy within a five-mile radius!"

"He's a vampire!"

"I heard you the first five hundred times. So?"

"Whadya mean, 'so'? He's killed people!"

"So has Angel, and a lot more. And Riley was no saint either."

"Riley killed demons!"

"Good or bad ones. Hardly saintly."

"Spike hasn't got a soul!"

"Because a soul is an absolute guarantee of good behavior. I'm pretty sure Ted Bundy had one though…"

"He's killed slayers!"

"Err… newsflash? So have a lot of other vamps, and even a lot of humans! Three were burnt as witches, one was beheaded during the French Revolution, one died in the camps during WWII, two were killed off by invading soldiers during the Hundred Years war, and so on! Wanna have a go at the rest of the population?"

"It's different!"

"How? Because slayers are supposed to be better than the rest of humanity?"

"What? No! I just…"

"You know what, Buff? You find a suitable excuse, you get back to me. Now go home, Dawn's expecting you."

Buffy gasped. "You can't tell me what to do!"

"Why not? Everyone else is, and you let them, so why not me?"

Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but could not find the words. She lowered her head and stared at the ground.

Gayle suddenly felt bad. "Look, Buffy… only you can figure out what to do. Ok? But right now, you're in no state to make a decision. Willow called earlier, she's done analyzing that creepy stuff we found and she's called a Scoobie meeting. Just… go home and… I don't know, take a shower or have a drink, to clear your mind. I'll see you at the Magic Box in a couple of hours, ok? I'll bring Spike."

Buffy stiffened. _I'll bring Spike._ That was just information, not a request. But she did want Spike to be there, so she just nodded in silence and walked away.

Gayle watched her go. As soon as Buffy was out of sight, the brunette bent down in pain and took several deep breaths. She leaned against a tombstone for support until she regained her composure. Then she got up, smoothed her hair back, and went into the crypt.

Spike was pouring himself a drink. He barely acknowledged her presence. She took her cigarette pack out of her jacket, figuring he wouldn't mind, and lit up. She took a long drag before speaking.

"You know, I'm pretty sure they had a similar scene on _Passions_ last week…"

He snorted. "Yeah, that's my life these days, pet: a bloody soap opera… sans the good bits." He downed his drink in one gulp then stared at the empty glass. "And in a second, you're gonna tell me that everything's gonna be alright…"

"…'_then we would cook cornmeal porridge'_? Doubtful. I told you, I don't do the rom-com crap. But for what it's worth… Love seems to always find a way."

He looked at her wryly. "That right?"

"That's what they say anyway. Never got an occasion myself to find out though. But, in the mean time, I have something for you that might ease the pain…"

She handed him the box set. He took it in his hands and instantly his face lit up. _That's better_, she thought.

"Where'd you get that?" he asked.

"You don't wanna know."

Spike arched a brow and grinned. Gayle reacted quickly.

"Hey, I paid for it! Real money, too! Just nowhere near what it was worth. Don't _you_ throw me any stones!"

Spike chuckled. "Come along, Chirpy, I've got a CD player downstairs, let's hear what this is worth…"

Gayle smiled and started to follow him… then stopped dead. Blood had drained from her face.

Spike was suddenly worried. "S'wrong?"

She just glared at him. "Chirpy? That's my nickname?"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

"Right, so if everyone's here…"

"Err, Will? Spike and Gayle aren't here yet…" protested Dawn.

"Oh, are we expecting Captain Peroxide now?" grunted Xander.

"Xander, shut up!" was the collective response.

Xander's head sank in his shoulders. Nobody has forgotten his little outburst a few days before and Buffy especially was giving him the cold shoulder. Right on cue, though, Spike and Gayle entered the shop, both singing at the top of their lungs: _"So you gotta let me knoooow / Should I stay or should I…"_

They stopped when they saw the whole gang glaring knives at them. Gayle swallowed. "… _stay._ Hey guys! Sorry we're late, we got a bit carried away, shut up Gayle and sit down, sure right away."

She sat down on a chair near the central table while Spike propped himself up on the counter. He and Buffy exchanged glances without a word. For a change, there was no anger or pain in their eyes.

"Right, so now we're all here. I wanted to talk to you about the… the thing we found near the Bronze. Well, the same night, there was another disappearance. Another young man, aged 22 this one. That's the sixth in a space of five weeks. All young men under 25, all in good health, all last seen alive at night. But I tried to cross reference them, they had nothing else in common. Different backgrounds, ethnics and jobs. And every time one of them disappeared, a big puddle of… slime was found in a deserted street or alley near where they were last seen."

Giles took off his glasses. "Are you telling us you think the two subjects are related?"

"I'm pretty sure they are. 'Cos, the stuff? Turns out, I was wrong. It's actually human."

"Ha! See? Somebody did get sick, no need to panic!" said Anya with a wide smile.

Willow made a face. "Weeeell… yes and no."

"Yes and no? I don't like yes and no! Why can't there be just a yes?"

"Willow," said Buffy with a worried frown, "why the 'no', and why the 'yes'?"

The red-haired witch swallowed hard. "Well, I think there might be reason to panic, 'cos somebody did get kinda sick… so sick they melted into a puddle of yucky goo. When I said it's human, I didn't mean it came from a human… more like was a human…"

A beat. The Scoobies, old and new, were staring at her, the information for a moment refusing to sink in. surely she couldn't be suggesting… Buffy came closer to her friend.

"Will… what are you saying?"

"The fluids, Buffy. It's human remains… melted."

_End of chapter five._

_**Gayle quotes lyrics from Michael Jackson's "Bad" and Bob Marley's beautiful "No Woman No Cry", both for a laugh. The duet with Spike was "Should I Stay Or Should I Go", by the Clash. Everything about the Clash box set is true, she lied, she lied… For those who don't know, Ted Bundy was a serial killer who killed over 30 young women between 1974 and 1978 (I was a criminal psychology major once upon a time…). Oh, and "rat-arsed" is rude British slang for "drunk".**_

_**I hope I'm doing a good job of keeping you on your toes. Lemme know what you think…**_


	6. Chapter 6 Love The One You're With

_**Sorry about the lateness in updating, my muse had decided to take a break and see other people… but I got the bitch back now…**_

**Chapter Six**** - Love The One You're With**

"_**Don't be angry, don't be sad  
Don't sit crying talking good times you've had  
Well there's a girl sitting right next to you  
And she's just waiting for something to do  
Well there's a rose in a fisted glove  
And the eagle flies with the dove  
And if you can't be with the one you love, honey  
Love the one you're with"**_

_**Crosby Stills & Nash, Love The One You're With  
**_

It was lunch break at the newly refurbished Sunnydale High, but whoever was calling Dawn on her spanking-new cell phone either didn't know that or had chosen to ignore it. She sighed, and answered grumpily: "Hello?"

"Dawnie? It's Buffy. I need you to do me a favor!"

"Sure, what?"

"Gayle's gone MIA. She hasn't come home all night. Could you check with Spike, please? They often hang out after patrol, maybe he has an idea of where she's gone?"

Dawn had spent the night at Janice's. "Oh my gosh! Do you think anything's happened to her?"

"Oh, I'm sure she can handle herself, but Dawn, I'm worried! I just wanna make sure she's alright!"

"Why don't you go there yourself then?"

"I can't, Principal Woods will have my head if I miss anymore appointments! Pretty please?"

Dawn quickly agreed and hung up, leaving the school grounds in a second. She wanted a word with Spike anyway.

They hadn't had much time to talk together ever since his return, and she knew what he had done to her sister. She wanted to make sure that something like that would never happen again. Guy had to sleep, right? Even the dead had to sleep sometimes. He could very well wake up on fire one of these days…

But she had also seen the way he had acted around her during the few weeks leading to his departure, and then after he came back. Like he was always on the edge of a very dangerous cliff. She knew Buffy had been using him as well, and how they had both acted badly towards each other. The blood in her veins would always make her take Buffy's side, but Dawn was not blind. Neither of them was guilty nor innocent. And both needed each other. Dawn just wished someone could magically clean the slate and they could both make a fresh start, though she was careful not to voice that wish aloud. You never knew who or what might be listening…

She arrived quickly at Spike's crypt and knocked on the door. No answer. She knocked louder. Still nothing. So she entered without waiting any longer.

The upper level was deserted… well, unless you counted the dozen bottles scattered around the floor. Whiskey, beer, scotch, you name it. All thoroughly empty. The TV had been left on, and a few candles were dying here and there, while some other had completely melted wherever they had been left.

Dawn was officially worried. But before panicking, she decided to check the lower level. She took one of the surviving candles and went down the ladder…

… to find both Spike and Gayle in bed!

She stared in disbelief. Now, they were actually lying on top of the covers, with all their clothes on, and not exactly cuddling: Spike was sprawled on the bed with one arm extended, which Gayle was trying to use as a pillow, but there was no further body contact.

_Maybe I should tell Buffy that Gayle is dead… 'cos she's gonna want to kill her after this…_

The air was reeking of alcohol, and she kicked a couple more bottles on the floor when she landed. The noise woke Gayle up with a start. She opened her eyes with difficulty, and saw Dawn. Surprised, she took a minute to analyze her surroundings… and her bedmate. Her eyes went wide in horror and she quickly turned to Dawn: "It's totally not what it looks like! Look: I'm fully clothed!"

"I'm not accusing you but… did you get drunk?"

Gayle rubbed her head, embarrassed. "Wouldn't call it drunk. I believe 'hammered' would be the right term. You know: one strong drink led to another strong drink led to an even stronger drink led to something I think got me blind for five minutes… Next thing I know, I wake up here and Spike is sleeping like the… well, if it's possible to get any deader, I think he just went there."

"And, just what brought the drinking binge on?"

Gayle smirked. "The Clash did. Oh, and Spike's broken heart. I caught him and Buffy kissing the other day…"

Dawn held her hand up. "Say no more. She went frantic trying to tell you it was a mistake and so on?"

"Yeah, how d'ya know?"

"What, you think this was the first time it happened? Those two have been doing the 'will-they-won't-they' dance for months now. It's driving me nuts! I just wish they'd… no, rephrase: _it would be nice if_ they either got together or over it once and for all. Might not want to tell her about this though, if you value your life."

"I know what you mean. Think we should wake him up?"

Dawn looked at the sleeping vampire, her former crush, stand-in older brother and once official protector. He looked peaceful in his sleep. She liked to think that maybe in his dreams, he and Buffy had made up and they were all one big happy family. It would be cruel to wake him up in those circumstances…

"Nah", she replied. "Let him sleep. He'll recover quicker, and it would be nice to have him sober tonight."

"Right… what's happening tonight again?"

"Gayle!"

"Oh, yeah, right… Sorry, my brain is screaming for caffeine, it's… unpleasant." She sat up on the edge of the bed and stretched with a loud yawn. "Ooh, did Willow find out more about the goop?"

"No, she said that the tissues are too damaged to make a DNA match with any of the missing boys. She's not giving up though, she says she'll try a little revealing spell tomorrow."

"Okay. What time is it?"

"Nearly one."

Gayle jumped to her feet, suddenly fully recovered. "Oh my God! I gotta get cooking!"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

"Honey, you're sure Buffy doesn't mind?" said Tara as she was coming out of the car.

"Of course not" said Willow while grabbing a suitcase out of the trunk. "The doctor said you should spend your first night out of the hospital in familiar surroundings, and Buffy suggested herself that said surroundings should be her house. She's very much non-mindy."

"Can't wait to see Dawnie… she must have grown!"

"She has, but not so much. Did I tell you she's in high school now?"

"Only two or three hundred times."

"Sorry. Anyway, here, come on in."

Willow helped Tara coming into the foyer with her suitcase. When Tara mechanically turned to the lounge…

"_SURPRISE!"_

… she was faced with the whole of the Scooby Gang, Spike included, clapping, beaming and hurray-ing at her. There were several stacks of balloons in every corner, a banner reading "Welcome Home!" in multi-colored letters, and each Scoob was carrying a present.

Tara's eyes went wide with glee. She turned to Willow, who shrugged with a wicked grin and said:

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I forget to mention the giganormously cool party awaiting you? Must have slipped my mind…"

Tara smiled and when she turned to face the crowd, she suddenly found her arms full of Dawn… and someone else she was sure she didn't know…

"Oh, Tara!" cried Dawn. "I'm so happy! I missed you so much!"

"Same to you, Dawnie! You look even prettier than the last time I saw you!" Tara said with a soft smile. She then turned to the other person hugging her: "Um… H-hello?"

Gayle's head jerked up. "Hi! I'm so happy you're here! You don't know me yet, I'm Gayle, the latest Vampire Slayer, I know, we just keep a-coming, but hey, the more the merrier, I do hope you like pizza, this one's homemade by me, oh I heard so much about you, I feel like I know you already, I'm sure we'll be great frien –"

"Gayle!" interrupted Dawn. "Word vomit again…"

"Sorry. Welcome home, dear."

"Th-thank you… erm, Gayle, right?"

Gayle nodded energetically, then led the witchy blonde to the lounge with Dawn. Tara was hugged by Buffy first, then by Xander and Giles. One by one, the gang showed her how glad they were of seeing her again. She was led to sit on the couch, and Dawn sat down on the floor and put her head on Tara's lap. The present were laid before her on the coffee table, and Anya went around her to put a colorful coned paper hat on her head. Tara was beaming.

"You guys shouldn't have…"

"Nonsense, my dear" said Giles. "You more than deserve this, and I'd wager you more than need it too."

"Why 'shouldn't we have'?" asked Anya. "You coming out of the hospital at last is perfectly celebration-worthy. And it's not like we can cancel it now anyway, 'cos you're here now!"

Anyone else would have found that comment offensive, of course. But this was Anya. And Tara had even missed her.

Xander arrived with a tray of drinks: several glasses of champagne and one of orange juice. "Here comes the good stuff, coming through! Dawn, I'm sorry but you're only legal enough for orange juice." Dawn pouted and took her glass reluctantly. Once everyone was served, Xander raised his glass for a toast: "To Bulletproof Tara!", and was joined in applause by the whole gang.

Tara bit back tears of happiness and slowly took everything in. The shooting. The three weeks of hospitalization. Half of that in a coma. They had come so close to losing her. She had been so close to losing them. Forget blood ties, this was her true family.

Right down to the blond vampire who had once punched her in the nose to prove her humanity and that was now coming her way, handing her a little pink box. "Happy home-coming, pet."

Tara smiled, took the box and opened it. Inside was a little silver locket with a pentagram engraved on it. She opened the locket: inside were two tiny pictures of Willow and herself.

Both Willow and Tara leaped at him for a hug. Buffy felt a twinge at seeing Spike surrounded by women… _They're gay, you freak, get a grip!_ She shook her head to get her senses back, but then her enhanced hearing picked up a few words whispered by Willow: "thank you again… so much… never forget what you did…" What was that about?

A little while later, as Tara was opening the rest of her presents, Buffy asked Willow to come and help in the kitchen. Willow followed without asking questions…

"Okay, what was with the love fest?"

Willow blinked. "There never was a need for help, was there?"

"No, sorry about that. Look, I heard a few words of what you said to Spike, and I don't understand! What happened with you guys?

"He didn't tell you?"

"No, of course he did, he tells me everything he ever does or says every day, but I like it so much I want you to repeat it for me!"

"Alright, enough with the sarcasm, I'll spill. Last week, Spike came to see Tara at the hospital. You did know that, right? That he visited her regularly?"

Buffy shook her head.

"Oh… well, he did. Freak me right out first time I saw his dusteriness in her room. But he was real nice, to both of us. Said we were… but anyway, a week ago, he was there and told me something didn't smell right in Tara's blood. He had me call the doctors and check. Turns out…" Her hand went to her mouth and she bit back tears. "She had a clot, Buffy. Near her heart. An hour later, she would have… oh Goddess…"

Buffy's arms pulled her friend in a tight hug. She knew what it meant. Willow had almost lost the love of her life for the second time in the space of a few weeks. That was a lot to take in. And now she lived because of Spike…

Why hadn't he told her? _Why would he? You guys aren't exactly a couple._

They were interrupted by Gayle dragging in an unwilling Xander by the neck. "Sorry to interrupt, but it's ass-whooping time!" She threw Xander against the island, where he landed with a grunt.

"What happened?" asked Buffy.

"He keeps on taunting Spike! Endlessly! 'Peroxyde' this, 'Evil Dead' that, 'could you please get out now', and so on! Not only am I sick to death of it, he's ruining the party! I can't let that happen! It's Tara's night, and he's spoiling everything with his atti – do you smell burning? _Oh my gosh, the pizza_!"

Gayle ran to the oven. A little smoke came out when she opened it, but it did not seem too bad. "Phew! That was a close one, it's just slightly toasted. I really thought it was – hey, stop mocking me, you two!"

Buffy and Willow were shaking with laughter. After all, they had just caught the live version of a Marx Brothers comedy sketch!

"Okay, you two, out! But could you take the spicy wings with you and start serving? Xander here is gonna help me with the pizza!"

Willow snatched the dish of spicy wings and scurried out with Buffy. Xander was left alone with Gayle …

She laid the pizza onto a cutting board and took a large knife out of a drawer. Xander gulped.

"I want you to give Spike a break", she said while starting to cut up the pizza.

"Yeah okay. Shall I start by the arms or the legs?"

Gayle slammed the blade into the board. Xander regretted his sass immediately.

"Are you trying to get beat up?"

"Look, I think it's pretty clear that I don't like that piece of…"

"No swearing in my kitchen!"

"… unpleasant smelly droppings. What do you expect me to do, exactly? Give him a hug?"

"That would be a start, but somehow I don't think he would let you."

"He's an evil, soulless…"

"Oh gee, not the 'soulless' speech again! You're being unfair!"

"Unfair? How the hell am I being unfair?"

"Well… what if he was Black? Or Jewish? Or an ex-demon on the path to becoming a useful member of society? What would that make _you_?"

"That's different…"

"Of course it is."

"No, I mean it! It's not just that, Gayle, he still tried to rape her!"

"And she seems extremely upset about that too."

"How can you say that!"

"Hey! Don't use that tone on me, boy! I've worked with rape victims; Buffy is not acting like one of them. Yes she's hurt, of course she is! But try and put things in perspective: how would _you _be feeling if someone you were sure would never hurt you was suddenly the cause of _your_ greatest pain? Like say… proposing marriage and then leaving your betrothed at the altar?"

Xander's head sank back between his shoulders. "It's different…"

"You say that a lot, Xan. Far too much for you to actually believe it. You want the mushrooms off?"

"Err… no, thanks, mushrooms are fine."

"Funny thing about mushrooms. Some of them can kill you, you know. Others can just make you sick. Some you get addicted to. How does one make the difference? By trying. Repeatedly. And often getting hurt in the process, but it's a useful hurt. There you go, I think you'll like the cheese especially. Low-fat, you don't need the extra calories, trust me on that." With that, she carried the pizza tray over to the gang.

After a moment of introspection, Xander joined them, and allowed himself for the first time to look at Spike, who was sitting on the couch's armrest, with different eyes. What he saw shook him. Every now and then, Spike would glance at Buffy and Buffy would glance at Spike. They would only stare at each other for a few seconds before averting their eyes again. You could see so many emotions in that brief look: longing, sadness, tenderness… and pain. So much pain…

_Oh my God_.

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

The party was going well. Buffy took advantage of a commercial break to signal Spike to follow her. He followed her wearily into the kitchen. There, she spun around to face him with daggers-filled eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me about saving Tara's life?"

Spike considered her for a moment before speaking. "As usual, pet, you didn't ask."

"Damn it, Spike, stop playing around! Just answer the freakin' question!"

"Since when do I have to give you daily reports on my activities?"

"What? No, I just…"

"What if I had done? You probably would have just thought I was trying to win you over, like you always do, simply because a _thing_ like me can't do anything selfless! Am I wrong?"

Buffy swallowed hard. He was right, that would probably have been her first reaction…

… but Hell would freeze over before she admitted it. "No, I wouldn't have! I-I would have been… impressed! I might even have patted you on the back… or on the shoulder or…"

"Oh, spare me, Slayer! You know damn well it's not true!"

"Why are you flying off the handle about this? I only asked…"

"I'm flying – Look, kitten, I'm at the end of my rope here! Will you just make up your bloody mind up!"

"Oh, like it's so easy!"

Spike's jaw dropped. "What?"

"I crave you, Spike! There, I said it! But I can't allow myself to endanger everything my life is based on because of a craving! I just don't know how to feel anymore! And then I hear that you've been seeing other women…"

"Oh, fer cryin' out loud, I'm not shagging Chirpy! Not shagging anyone else, for that matter! An' you've got a nerve keeping tabs on my sex life, luv!"

"And you", said Gayle, coming into the kitchen, "could really lower the volume! I swear, it's impossible to have a drama-free evening in this town!" She then went to the pantry to retrieve the cake she had made earlier and wrapped in tinfoil.

"Gayle," said Buffy between her teeth, "this doesn't concern you!"

"What, the cake?" She started to dispose of the tinfoil and move the cake onto a proper cake dish.

"No, not the cake! This is a private conversation!"

"So private you've been broadcasting it though the house-waves. Am I gonna have to try and fix it between you two again? Because I have to tell you, I'm getting tired of being your emotional bumper…"

"No-one asked you to be!" raged Buffy.

Gayle frowned, clearly piqued. "Indeed, no-one asked me! No-one asked you to be the Slayer! No-one asked Dawn to be the Key! No-one asked Xander to go stop Willow when she was on a rampage! No-one asked either of you to be one single gigantic pain in my delicious little behind, but you still are! And no, no-one asked me to be nice to you, so maybe I'll stop! Now if you'll excuse me, there's a girl expecting her homecoming cake, and she's much more polite than either of you!" With that, she grabbed the cake dish and left the kitchen.

Buffy and Spike were left looking sheepishly at each other.

"Look, pet…"

"I'm sorry."

"… beg pardon?"

"Don't make me repeat myself! Look, I realize this is complicated for you, but… I need time, okay?"

"To do what? Decide whether I get a crumb or a stake?"

"… something like that. Minus the stake."

Spike smirked. He was about to kiss her when…

"I'd understand if you liked Gayle though…"

"Oh, bloody hell! You just don't get it, do you?"

"Well it's obvious you like her!"

"Like everyone else! That's it, I'm off! Tell the witches I said goodnight!"

He grabbed his duster and stormed into the night.

Buffy growled to the empty room.

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Two hours later, a very pretty brunette entered the infamous "Willy's" demon bar. She scanned the crowd and found what she had come for at the bar.

"Fancy meeting you here", she said to the slumped leather covered shape on the bar.

Spike raised his head. "Hey Chirpy, what you're doing in this neck o' the woods?"

"Duh, looking for you. Tracked down all the seedy demon bars in Sunnydale, and here I strike gold. Third time's a charm indeed."

She extended a hand to Willy across the counter.

"Hi, we haven't met: I'm Gayle, Vampire Slayer."

Willy hesitated for a second, then shook the offered hand. "Willy, bartender to the damned."

"How fitting. Willy my boy, I need to get very drunk, very badly and very fast if possible. Think you can help me?"

"I've got a nice twelve year-old bourbon that should do the trick."

"That's a start, bring it on. Can you serve it in a pint glass?"

Willy stared for a second, then nodded and went to get the glass.

"Heart trouble, luv?"

"You're one to talk. How many have you had?"

"You know, not that many if you consider my life span… First there was that posh bird, Cecily…"

"I meant drinks."

"Oh… not sure…"

"Sounds like too many. Give me five minutes to catch up, okay?"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Every woman has a "secret box". A cardboard box sitting in a closet or under the bed, full of keepsakes. Some are full of pictures of family, friends or ancestors. Some contain random souvenirs, like a pebble one picked from a historical landmark, school medals, seashells, strands of hair. Others are filled with dreams of the future: baby clothes, magazine cut outs of beautiful clothes or faraway countries.

For Buffy Summers, it was a yellow shoebox that had once homes one of her favorite pair of boots. Now it held many objects that had value or signification only to her. And tonight, after her heart had once again been mangled by her own means, she was feeling nostalgic. She was sitting alone in her bedroom, everyone else had gone home or to bed, the house was silent. So she crouched down on the floor and retrieved the box from under the bed. She softly caressed the lid, that her Mom had decorated with painted flowers, and opened the box.

One by one she lifted the items in her hands to contemplate and reminisce. Merrick's hat, beaten and flattened. Angel's Claddagh ring.Her old Divinyls CD. A picture of her cheerleading squad at Hemery High. Faith's knife _(urgh! what's that doing here?)_. One of her name tags from the time she had run away to L.A. and worked as a waitress, the ones that read "Anne". An intricately woven friendship bracelet Willow had done for her.

And just underneath the only ever English composition that had gotten her an A, she found a small green, softly glowing crystal. She picked it up and considered it for a second, trying to remember its origins. She smiled when she remembered at last its purpose. Willow had given it to her during her body swap with Faith, to retrieve her own body.

Funny how she could smile about it now. It certainly had not been funny then. She wondered how it would have been if Faith and her had still been friends then, swapping bodies for a laugh. She could have skipped school to go shopping, buy some stuff she never would have dared to before, gone to her friends and find out what they really thought of her…

Oh…

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

When Willy decided to close for the night, the last people to come out were a very inebriated couple. They stumbled onto the street holding each other by the shoulders, laughing and singing to the top of their lungs.

"_On the floor of Tokyo-o…_"

"_Or down in London town to go, go, with the record selection…_"

"_And the mirror's reflection_, HA! That's funny! 'Cos you don't have one! HA!"

"Sod off. _I'm a-dancing with myself, oh oh oh-oh…_"

Gayle slipped and almost fell over, but Spike caught her in the nick of time, and she held on to him by his duster's lapel, laughing out loud as she did.

"Whoops!"

"S'alright, Chirpy, I got ya."

"Wow! That would have been embarrassing!"

"Sure would 'ave…"

They stare at each other for a few seconds, both still reeling from the drink.

Then lips crashed.

The kiss was intense and fiery. Spike lifted her and pushed her against the closest wall. Gayle cried out in surprise (_like it rough do you_) but took his lips back immediately. He started to grind against her and she could feel his erection through both their jeans. Her mouth watered at the idea of a naked Spike…

Spike abandoned her mouth to start nipping at her throat, the smell of Slayer blood just under her porcelain skin arousing him even further. How he had missed that smell…

She squeezed her legs around his waist and called out his name in a moan…

He called out back… and Gayle's body went rigid.

Spike felt her stiffen and realized in horror what had happened. What he had called her.

They broke apart. Gayle was looking at her shoes, trying to keep a normal face.

"Well I sure never sobered up so quickly", she said.

She walk past him and started to leave.

"Gayle, baby, I'm…"

"Don't! Don't you dare 'baby' me!"

And she stormed into the night. Spike made no attempt to follow her.

Gayle took the directing of the cemetery, looking for something to kill.

Rejection, she could handle. Before or after action. Hell, she could even handle rejection-during-action…

But being-called-another-girl's-name-during-action was downright awful.

_End of chapter Six._

_**Some sentences inspired by the Season Six episode "Beneath You", written by Doug Petrie. Now I know some of you are hating me right now about what just happened between Spike and Gayle, so I should clear the air. Gayle is not going after Spike, nor is Spike falling for Gayle. He's just a broken heart desperately in need of love and she was just… happy to oblige. Come on! Put yourself in her place! Would tell him to get stuffed? I certainly wouldn't…**_

_**I actually don't have a box like Buffy's. Used to, but not anymore. Got too much stuff in it and had to invest into a whole chest of drawers. It's about to get too full too…**_

_**Send in the love and see ya all in chapter seven…**_


	7. Chapter 7 Mad World

_**I forgot to mention that at the end of the last chapter, Gayle and Spike were drunkenly singing Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself", a most brilliant song. Mr. Idol, if you're reading this, a thousand apologies… You rock!**_

_**Sorry again about the lateness, in fact this chapter went on for so long that I had to split it in two, and now the second part needs re-writing to make it to a decent size. I'll try to be faster…**_

**Chapter Seven – Mad World**

"_**And I find it kind of funny  
I find it kind of sad  
The dreams in which I'm dying  
Are the best I've ever had  
I find it hard to tell you  
I find it hard to take  
When people run in circles  
Its a very very mad world"**_

_**Tears For Fears, Mad World**_

Gayle Masterson was going through her third cemetery, desperately looking for action. She badly needed to kill something, slowly and painfully. Luckily some freshly-risen fledglings seemed happy to oblige. Five of them sneaked around her from behind a mausoleum. When she found herself suddenly surrounded, her lips curved into a strange smirk.

"Oh, guys, you so picked the wrong girl on the wrong night!"

One of them lunged for her, snarling. With incredible speed, she extended her leg in a very high kick to his face. The vampire screamed as the high heel of her boot tore into his face. He reeled back in pain.

"And guess what? I don't have to hold back squat tonight!"

She threw herself into the battle. She moved faster and hit harder than ever. She wasn't in for the dusting, so she did not make it quick. She dragged on for a good fifteen minute, beating the un-living daylights out of the vamps. When some of them tried to escape, she caught up with them with ease and resumed the fight. Finally, there was only one left. She approached him slowly, her eyes a predator's. He was shaking like a leaf.

"Please!" he begged. "Please! Have mercy!"

"Sorry, I'm all out."

With that, she leapt a good twenty feet into the air, then plummeted stake first towards the fear-stricken vampire. She hit home and gracefully landed into a cloud of dust.

She got back up slowly, shaking the dust off her clothes and cranking her neck a couple of times. She breathed in deeply. She felt better.

She was considering calling it a night when she felt a presence behind her. She spun around quickly, stake at the ready. But she gasped in surprise when she saw who it was.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "If you're looking for S–" she was interrupted when a puff of pink, glittery smoke was blown in her face. She inhaled some of it reflexively, and her eyes went wide. She seemed to look at something in the distance and sighed "Oooh, pretty!" before toppling to the floor.

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Buffy was sitting at the island of her kitchen, turning a small green crystal over and over between her fingers. She had an untouched mug of hot cocoa in front of her and was staring into empty space.

_It couldn't hurt… she'd probably would be okay with it… it's like an adventure, right? Wouldn't harm anyone…_

_But why would you need to do that? Yes you crave the man, but if it's only a craving why would go to such lengths to find out whether he still loves you or not?_

_Hey! No mention of the L-word!_

_Too late!_

The fact was, she still wasn't sure whether Spike truly loved her or was just obsessed by her. In ordinary times, with ordinary people, it would not have mattered. She would just have told him to suck it up and she would have moved on with her life.

But in _these_ times with _those_ people, subtle details made a world of difference. If he was just obsession, then her using of him wasn't so bad and his attempted rape was truly unforgivable. The sentence would then be stakage or banishment, the latter a kind of clemency for good services to the Scoobies.

But if it was love… real love…

She rested her head in her hands. Things just did not get simpler with time. And time was running out. Soon, he would move on, she was sure of it. It wouldn't be difficult for him; so many girls were swooning over him. He just had to pick one. And then she would never have the answers to her questions…

She looked at the crystal again. _So easy…_

She heard footsteps down the stairs, and quickly pocketed the crystal before taking the cup of cocoa in her hands to give them an occupation. Seconds later, Willow appeared in the kitchen in her flannel pajamas and fluffy slippers. She smiled when she saw Buffy there.

"Hey" said the redhead while getting a clean mug from the cupboard. "Can't sleep?"

Buffy smiled back and tried to look innocent. "No… too much coffee earlier, I guess. You?"

"Too wired. I'm just so happy Tara's back, you know?" She got some milk out of the fridge and filled her cup, then popped it in the microwave. "I actually spent the last hour or so just watching her sleep. How sickening is that?"

"Very. Please do keep on rubbing your happiness in my face."

Willow shrugged with a little smirk on her face. The microwave rang and she got the mug of hot milk out. She then went to sit next to her friend. "How are things with Spike?"

Buffy was startled. "What things with Spike? There are no things with Spike! There will never be any things with Spike! Why should there be things with Spike?"

"Well, I don't know! The way you go all moony-eyed when he's in the room, maybe?"

"I'm not 'moony-eyed'! I'm just… I'm just… aargh, shut up! Any news on the goop front?"

"Way to change the subject, though really not subtle. But I think I may have found something…"

"Oooh, do tell!"

"It's not much, and it's not actually about the goop. I tried to get more out of that, but the tissues are so damaged I couldn't. So I started studying the victims. All male, all in the prime of life, all healthy and, from what I've seen in the pictures, real hotties too."

"Will!"

"What? I was straight once you know! I have some leftovers of that! Anyway, I started looking into what sort of demons might be going for that type of victims, and there's only one: it's called a Succubus."

"A sucker-what?"

"Sah-queue-bus. It's an ancient demon present in several religions, including Christian and Jewish. Basically, they're supposed to look like really beautiful women, and they entice men to steal their life force… usually through sexual intercourse."

"Wow… I think we went to high school with a couple of those…"

"You're telling me! The first one ever recorded was called Lilith, and she was supposedly Adam's first wife in the Garden of Eden… until she dumped him for Lucifer."

"Ouch, that got to have hurt…"

"Yeah, but then Eve came along, I'm thinking she made it all better before the apple incident. It's all only based on legends, though, nothing solid. But here's the catch: when the Succubus take her victim's life-force, the guy is not supposed to melt, but to fall into a deep, endless sleep, kinda like a coma."

"So, in the end, Miss Sucker might not be our culprit at all?"

"Might not, but then I'm all out of ideas. But those legends I've found are pretty old, so maybe they have evolved in some way, and now they go for melting? I don't know, but so far, it's still our best shot."

"It's brilliant, Will. You're still researcher Number One. So, in the more than likely event that it is a Succubus we're after, how do I kill it?"

"Still working on that. But maybe our trusty old friend Violence could be a solid call."

"I like the way you think, Will."

"I know. That's why you love me. So… how are things with Spike?"

"Oh, god, he is like winning you all over one at a time?"

"Well, he kinda did save my girlfriend, and he helps a lot. And, normally, I would try not to interfere in your love life, but… you've been so… I don't know, it just seems to me like you're in pain and you could avoid it, you know?"

"Will… you know what he's done…"

"Yeah, I do. And as an ex-villain myself, I realize I really am in no place to judge and don't get a say in the matter. I won't influence your decision, Buffy. But whatever that is, I'll always be here for you. I hope you know that."

Buffy felt some tears trying to gain their way to the surface. Willow understood. She really did.

"Oh,god, Will! I think I –"

_Thump._

Both heads went in the direction of the noise. It was coming from the foyer, but they didn't see anything. They looked at each other in puzzlement.

_Thump._

From the foyer again. This time Buffy got up, gesturing Willow to stay put, but the witch shook her head and followed her.

The foyer was empty. Buffy switched the light on: nothing in the stairs or the lounge either…

_Thump._

That noise again. It came from the door. Somebody was out there.

"Hello?" ventured Buffy.

_Thump._

She tried to look through the door's glass panels, but it was too dark, she could only see a shape. A human shape.

Both girls looked at each other in understanding. Buffy got a stake and Willow positioned herself near the stairs, generating a small plasma ball in her hand. Once they were ready, Buffy opened the door…

"_…"_

… and Gayle fell face first on the floor.

"Oh my god, Gayle!" Buffy cried out. "Are you all right?"

Gayle had her eyes closed. Her eyes shot open at the sound of Buffy's voice.

"Home sweet home. Hey… when did the door go all… horizontal?"

Buffy and Willow looked at each other, puzzled. Gayle flipped over and propped herself on her elbows. She stared into space for a while, then turned her face to Buffy.

"Hey Buff… cake left?"

Buffy was slightly taken aback. "Hum, sure, in the kitchen I think…"

"Throw it away. Full of worms. Give it to the seagulls, thieving little creatures."

New glance at Willow, then back. "Ooookay… what's with the Woodstock speech, girl?"

"Mmm? Spike was at Woodstock, ya know. He ate people there." She then broke into a manic fit of laughter.

_Oh great, he told her that too…_ "What happened to you?"

Gayle straightened up abruptly and got to her feet at lightning-speed. "What happened to _you_?"

"Wh –? I asked you first!"

"No, I believe I did."

Buffy could only stare for a second. "Are you drunk?"

"Drunk… dunk… junk… funk… I'm considering words ending in 'unk'… punk… hunk… sp –"

"Snap out of it!"

"Do you know why a raven looks like a writing desk?"

"Okaaaay…"

"Cos I do! Well, no, I don't, but I'll hazard a guess… "

Buffy wrapped her arms around the brunette's shoulder, guiding her slowly to the lounge. "Why don't you hazard yourself onto the couch right now, and tell us all about it?" She helped Gayle to sit down.

"Okay… do you want a biscuit? I'll go make some!"

"Hum, Gayle? Right now I'm thinking you and ovens are really non-mixy."

"Okay… how about ice cream? We could all scream for ice scream, I know!"

Buffy sing-songed "You are starting to scaaaare meee…"

"What's with the noise, guys?"Dawn interrupted from the bottom of the stairs, her hair mussed and her eyes sleepy.

Gayle beamed at her and released a very high-pitched "Dawniiiiiie!"

Dawn's hands flew to her ears. "Ouch! Gayle, please, off with the shrieking! I'm too young to be deaf!"

Tara appeared next. "What's going on, guys?"

Willow turned to her lover. "Baby, you should be resting!"

"Well, I was actually, but I heard someone shriek!"

The Shrieker Formerly Known As Gayle suddenly sprang up from the couch and went to Dawn's side: "Ooooh, you're pretty!"

"Urm, thanks…" She mouthed to her sister _Is she drunk?_

Buffy just shrugged in response. She had not smelled any alcohol on Gayle's breath, she couldn't confirm or deny anything at this point...

Gayle kept rambling: "Reeeeal pretty! All shiny and-and-and like… you're not even there!"

Willow and Tara looked at each other in alarm. This rang far too familiar.

Dawn had had the same thought and went into a panic. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod…"

"Dawn!" Buffy caught her sister in her arms. "Don't worry! Nobody is going to hurt you!"

"But what if she's back, Buffy? What if Glory…"

"Glory can't be back, Dawnie. She can never come back, I promise you. But now we know that Gayle's in real trouble…"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

After much persuasion and two chairs shattered in the process, they managed to get Gayle to stay seated and still long enough for Willow and Tara to examine her in the dining room. Buffy and Dawn waited in the lounge with a cup of hot cocoa each.

When Tara joined them, she had a very worried look on her face. Willow had stayed with Gayle, Tara being still too frail to resist the rookie slayer in case she became violent.

"Well, the good news is, it's in no way godly-induced. Glory's off the hook for once…"

Dawn let out a deep sigh of relief. But Buffy had read between the lines: "And the bad news…?"

"We tried a simple reveal spell – Nothing big, I promise! B-but… it's not good, Buffy! Not good at all!"

"What is it, Tara?"

"We looked for everything: no drugs, no alcohol, nothing! But whatever happened to her… made her insane!"

Buffy blinked. "She's mad?"

"As a hatter! We did find some magic residue though, so it's safe to say that _somebody_ did this to her. Either someone who is prolific with magic or has access to it. B-but, Buffy, that residue isn't sufficient for us to analyze, and if we can't analyze it… w-we can't cure her!"

"She could stay like that?"

"Yes!"

Buffy was truly worried now. She couldn't possibly let her friend like that. "What do you need?"

"We need to find the source, t-the cause of her madness. Then we can reverse it."

"Okay so we need to find out where she went when –"

The front door opened suddenly, like it was reading her mind, and a leather clad vampire stepped through.

Buffy gasped in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Red called me. Chirpy's in trouble?"

"Called you? You have a cell, now?"

"Yes he does" said Willow, coming back to the foyer with Gayle in tow. "I enchanted a prepaid one so that we can reach him in case of emergencies."

"_This is an emergency / So are you listening?"_

"Oh yeah, and she's gone into juke-box mode…"

"_So you give up every chance you get / just to feel new again…"_

Spike got closer to the maddened slayer and waved a hand before her eyes. "Chirpy? Gayle? You in there, luv?"

She looked at him without seeing him. "Not sure… please come back and make an appointment…"

Spike seized her head and prodded her eyelids opened with one hand. "Eyes aren't bloodshot… s'not drugs."

"You smell nice…"

"Thanks pet, yer not too bad yourself." Turning to Buffy and Willow. "What the hell happened?"

"We don't know" Buffy answered. "She just came home, and she was… 'away'!"

"That's not just 'away', the girl's gone bonkers, I can tell!"

"Did you see her tonight?" Willow enquired. "After the party, I mean?"

"Yeah, she came to join me at Willy's. We had a few and when the bar closed we…" _snogged? Humped? Almost went at it right there in the alley? Not if you want to keep stake-free, mate. _"…ahem, went our separate ways."

"Did she say where she was going?"

"No. No, she didn't."

"Didn't you try to find out?" asked Buffy rather curtly.

"What, am I slayer-sitting now? No I didn't try and find out, chit's to do as she pleases, isn't she?"

Willow came to the rescue. "Did Gayle say something about meeting someone?"

"No, she just… took off. So I did too."

Willow tried a different approach. "Have you ever heard of demons that would go around making people crazy?"

"Not that kind of crazy… Know a few that can make you hallucinate if you lick their scales, but…"

"Ewwww!"

"… well, you bloody asked!"

"Wanna see me fly?" interrupted Gayle. "I just need a happy thought… and to go to the roof…" She started to climb the stairs before Willow caught up with her and led her back to the lounge.

Buffy turned back to Spike. "What did you mean by 'that kind of crazy'?"

"I meant the kind that's not coming from something you ingest, smoke, sniff or pop up your veins. I meant the 'permanent-damage-strait-jacket-padded-cell' kind. Trust me on this, pet, I've lived with crazy for about a hundred years, I can tell them apart…"

The mere mention of _the other woman_ made Buffy see red. "You have a cell phone?"

"Well yeah... how do you think I know about Scooby meetings? Either Red or Nibblet call me, that's how…"

"How come I don't know about this? Oh let me guess: I should have asked!"

Spike looked at an imaginary wristwatch. "Slayer, that's got to be a new record: from cool as a cucumber to tight-arsed bitch in less than twenty seconds! Bravo!"

"Did you just call me a b –"

"_When I'm with you / Are you somewhere else…"_

Spike and Buffy stopped the argument-in-the-making to stare at Gayle who had started singing…

She was looking straight at them with her empty eyes, but her voice was hypnotizing…

"_Am I getting thru / Or do you please yourself…"_

The former lovers simultaneously felt a chill down their spine… the lyrics certainly rang a bell…

"_When you wake up / Will you walk out / It can't be love / If you throw it about…"_

Everybody was at a standstill, listening to the crazed Slayer's beautiful rising voice and melancholic tones…

"_I know you think that love is the way you make it / So I don't wanna be there when you decide to break it…"_

Without realizing it, Buffy and Spike were moving closer to each other, still staring at Gayle. Tara had come to Willow's side and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"_Love bites, love bleeds / It's bringing me to my knees / Love lives, love dies / It's no surprise / Love begs, love pleads…"_

Gayle approached the blond couple and looked at them in the eyes. _"… it's what I need._ I want some juicy juice…" She walked past them and headed into the kitchen, Dawn hot on her heels to prevent further damage.

The music's spell broken, Spike and Buffy looked at each other. Unconsciously, they had joined hands…

Spike raised their locked hands to eyes level. Though they were puzzled, neither one made an attempt to break away. They just lost themselves in each other's eyes.

'_It's what I need'…_

"That song…" said Buffy weakly, "… did she make it up or…"

"No… no, pet, it's quite old…"

"Ah… it was nice…"

"Yeah…"

"It just sounded so…" She winced, trying to find the words.

"… appropriate?" said spike with a low chuckle.

Buffy smiled. "Yeah… that."

"Don' quite think they mentioned juice in the original version though…'

"Really? You don't say…"

"Hey!" Gayle interrupted again. "Did you hear that?"

Everyone stared at her…

"Outside!" she chimed, and ran to the front door. Before anyone could stop her, she was out…

Buffy and Spike broke contact to run after her. They did need to get very far though: Gayle was standing on the front lawn, staring at the sky.

"Whoa… what da ya know… they are singing… I'm still the prettiest voice out of you all, pipsqueaks!"

Buffy blinked. "Hum, Gayle? What are talking about?"

"Ghosty-Girl… Just like she said… the stars are singing… only now they're singing to me…"

Buffy and Spike exchanged worried glances. Those words sounded awfully familiar. _Can't be… can it?_

Buffy seized Gayle by the shoulders. "What Ghosty girl, Gayle? What did she look like? Did she say her name?"

"_Say my name, say my name…"_

"No! _Her_ name!"

"Eddie."

"Huh? Her name's Eddie?"

"_Ruuun tooo the hiiiiills… _don't you love Maiden?"

"Gayle please! Try to remember!"

"Eddie… Eddie Death… Ed d'Eath… She said missy… missing… missed… I'm considering words beginning with a little dolly named Miss Edith…"

Spike and Buffy tore off to get into the DeSoto, and drove off at full speed, leaving Gayle in her singing conversation with the starry sky above her. _"Ruuun fooor your liiiiife…"_

_End of Chapter Seven_

_**Gayle's ramblings are inspired by J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan and Lewis Carroll's "Alice In Wonderland". The author of the latter was allegedly on drugs while writing the book… it shows, doesn't it? If you haven't read it yet, DO IT! Just don't drink or smoke anything illegal while reading, otherwise you're in for one hell of a trip…**_

_**Gayle's songs: "**__**Break On Through (To the Other Side**__**)" by the Doors, "Emergency" by Paramore, "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child, and "Run To The Hills" by Iron Maiden (the "Eddie" bit refers to the band's zombie mascot).**_

_**The song that got everyone in a trance is "Love Bites" by Def Leppard. Some very clever person made a beautiful Spuffy video on YouTube with that song as a theme, go check it out!**_

_**As usual… feed the review-hungry muse… please…**_


	8. Chapter 8 Crazy Train

_**Hi everyone, sorry about the late update! There's a lot of snow here in Europe, and my muse (traitor!) decided to leave to go skiing! But then she realized she was no good at it and came crawling back! So I made her write an extra long chapter in revenge… sweet, sweet revenge…**_

_**Warning: character death.**_

**Chapter Eight – Crazy Train**

"_**I've listened to preachers,**_

_**I've listened to fools […]  
Inheriting troubles I'm mentally numb  
Crazy, I just cannot bear  
I'm living with something that just isn't fair  
Mental wounds not healing  
Who and what's to blame  
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train"**_

_**Ozzy Osbourne, "Crazy Train"**___  


The DeSoto was storming through the streets of Sunnydale, wandering around, looking for one particular and most peculiar vampiress that, so far, remained elusive.

Inside, both passengers were scanning the night outside, not saying a word, their stomachs clenched with angst.

After half an hour, Buffy broke the silence. "I don't get it! What is Drusilla doing here?"

"Beats me, pet, I'm mostly surprised she didn't come to me first."

Buffy snorted. "Yeah, that would have been a tearful reunion…"

"Would you please shut up and stop with the jealous shite already? I'm trying to sense her…"

She gasped in indignation. "I'm not jeal –"

"Buffy, try and think about everything you've been telling me these past few days, _then_ try and convince _yourself _you're not jealous!"

She stared at him for a while. _Dammit! He's right!_ "Guess I am… God, I'm sick…"

Spike grunted in response. "Because you feel you shouldn't be feeling jealousy towards an evil soulless thing that tried to rape you…"

"The rape bit, yeah… but the rest… I'm kinda getting over it…"

"Really?"

"Not willingly, believe me, but… did you say you were trying to sense her?"

"Yeah, and so far, it's not working."

"S'plainy, please?"

"Dru's my Sire, isn't she? She and I have a blood bond, we're linked. We always feel each other when we're close geographically. Like I could sense the Great Ponce when he was about. Like we all felt it when Darla was dusted and then when she came back. Bit like family, really."

"So how come you're not feeling her now?"

"Haven't got the foggiest."

"Is there a chance that it could not be her after all?"

"Do you know many vamps that talk to the stars through a dolly?"

"…'Kay, so it is her. But I still don't get it: how did she make Gayle crazy and why?"

"That in itself is strange, I'll give you that, but it's still kinda like Dru to pull a stint like that. But I'm still more worried about the fact that I can' sense her."

"Okay, there isn't a single bit of that statement that isn't like totally scary, but that last part? How is that worse?"

"Because, if I can't feel her… it means that something in her has just changed drastically. And that could be very, very bad…"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

"What do you suppose is going on in there?" asked Dawn looking at the crazed Slayer.

Gayle was tied up to a chair again, her eyes staring at nothing, a smile on her face and her head softly bobbing to a melody she alone could hear.

"Probably _Hard Rock Café's Greatest Hits_, Vol. 2." answered Willow. "Or maybe a rerun of _Voyager_. Whatever it is, it's keeping her happy and relaxed, so I hope it won't end soon."

"Why would Drusilla go after her? You'd think she'd have a bigger bone to pick with Buffy or Spike than a random Slayer…"

"Well, she's not exactly known for thinking logically. Plus maybe this is a way of getting to both of them at once."

"I don't think so. If that was really the case, she would have gone after me."

Willow stared at her.

"What?" the teenager said with a raised eyebrow.

"You're so smart sometimes, it's scary."

"Thank you, I do try."

Willow started to pace. "I just hope they'll be back soon. I really don't like the idea of Drusilla wandering about. Or seeing Gayle in that state. If only I had the right supplies for a locator spell…"

Tara had been standing vigil at the window. "Do you think we should call Giles?"

"At this 'ungodly hour'? Nah! If they're not back by sunrise, I will, but in the meantime, let him sleep."

"Yeah, he needs it, he's no spring chicken…"

"Dawn!"

"Sorry…"

"How about Xander or Anya?" continued the blonde witch. "We may need some extra help, in case she…"

"_Help! / I need somebody, help! / Not just anybody, help! / You know I need someone…"_

"… starts singing again."

"It's not that bad. At least she's providing entertainment while we wait."

"Do you think she could get dangerous?" asked Dawn.

"I have no idea, but I'd rather not find out. Hence the bondage. I mean, imagine she gets pissed off because, I don't know, we're out of milk and cookies. I just don't want to be in the line of fire then."

Gayle raised her head to the witch: "We're out of cookies?"

"No! No, plenty o' cookies in the house, Mama, don't you worry!"

"It would have been easy to kill you, ya know…"

"I don't doubt it, but I really rather you didn't."

"Okey dokey!"

"Thank you." Turning to Dawn and Tara: "See what I mean?"

"Well", Dawn mused, "you did threaten the cookies…"

"Dawn! You're not helping!"

"Sorry, shutting up now."

Tara was trying her best not to laugh at the comical situation. "What about Buffy and Spike? From what you've told me, that Drusilla person is really dangerous, do you think they'll be okay?"

"Yeah… might be a little awkward though, especially for Spike, with the whole 'loved you for a century' thingy, but him and Buffy can more than hold their own in battle…"

Gayle started to snigger, then chuckled, then laughed loudly. She kept on laughing at the top of her lungs for almost a full minute. The girls kept exchanging worried glances.

"Uhm, Mama Gayle?" asked Dawn wearily. "Are you okay? What's so funny?"

Gayle stopped laughing abruptly, and though she kept the ghost of a smile on her lips, her huge doe's eyes had gone dark and dangerous.

"You little girls… you have no idea! That's why I love you guys so much… you have no idea… what it's really like when you're truly in battle… where anywhere you look, up, down, sideways, there's nothing but fighting… the clamor, the noise, the life, the death… of everything! Of everything you know and knew and think you will know. And how it goes on and on and on until you can't remember when it all started and why you keep going and what's at the end… you just keep on fighting until every fiber in your body gives way, and you just want to rest… but how do you rest when there's nothing under or above you? Nothing before and nothing after, nothing ahead or behind… You don't, that's how… so you just hold on… and on… and on… and you just accept the pain… again… and again… and again… And the fear, the constant fear of what's ahead, if it will happen again, and just how many times… You little girls… you have no idea…"

She lowered her head and stopped talking.

A minute passed.

The girls were just staring at the bound girl. Dawn broke the silence: "Okay, I'll say it first: what was that all about?"

"I don't know" said Willow, who then got closer to Gayle. She put her hands on the brunette's shoulders, and Gayle lifted her head in reaction.

"Gayle… you don't want to kill us, do you?"

"I kill evil… it's what I do… what I'm meant to do… what I was born to do…"

"Yeah, okay, but you know we're not evil, right?"

Gayle looked at Willow straight in the eyes, and for a second the witch could have sworn the slayer could _see_ her again…

"I like you now. So I won't kill you."

"Th-thanks, much obliged."

They were interrupted by the door bell. Dawn went to answer it.

The person on the other side was a pale-looking dark haired woman, extremely beautiful. "I need to see the Slayer and Spike. Please let me in."

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Aaaand good evening to you too, or good morning now, whatever. And you ask so nicely as well…Who the hell are you?"

Gayle extended her neck to see past the doorway. The newcomer saw her and said: "What are you doing here?"

Willow let out a gasp behind the teen: "Oh my god!"

Gayle beamed and exclaimed: "Hey, it's Ghosty-Girl!"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

"Right! That's it! I officially give up!"said Spike, getting back into the car.

Buffy jogged after him and followed into the car herself. "Spike, we can't just give up now!"

"Well what do you suggest we do instead?" he said, starting the car and driving away. "We've checked what's left of the factory, the mansion, several nests which really need cleaning up by the way, all the bleeding cemeteries…"

"Maybe the Bronze? Or a demon bar?"

"Bronze is closed at this hour. As for the bar, can you really imagine Dru in there?"

"Well, I don't know! She's British right? Aren't you guys supposed like to spend your lives in pubs?"

"While you Yanks, on the other hand, are the epitome of self-restraint! Especially in frat houses or during Super Bowl time! Thanks for the stereotype, Slayer, much obliged…"

"You done? Can we focus now?"

"I'm not the one who –"

The driver's window exploded.

Spike swerved violently, extending his arm over to protect Buffy's body and managed to stop the car short of running into a tree.

"Get down!" he shouted as the car stopped. Both he and Buffy dived under the headboard.

"What was that?"

"I don't know, but… oh wait, yes I do." He pointed at the passenger door. A crossbow bolt was embedded in the paneling.

Buffy considered the direction. It had been a very close one…

"Who do you think it was meant for?"

"Dunno, but I'd like to find out!" he growled. He tried to get out of the car, but Buffy stopped him.

"No! You're not immune to a bolt to the heart! Stay!"

Spike made a face, but complied. Then he held out his hand to her and cupped her face. "You alrigh'?"

She almost leaned into his hand, but refrained at the last second. "Yeah… still whole Buffy. Do you think it was her?"

"No, no I don' think so. S'not her style. Plus she doesn't know how to use a crossbow."

"Then who?"

"Pfff, demons, vampires, jealous ex-boyfriends, take your pick Slayer! But there's something even more worrying…"

"What?"

"Why aren't they here yet? We're sitting ducks, and nobody's coming to pick us!"

Buffy pondered this. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the noises around her with her Slayer senses. The wind in the leaves… an owl… running footsteps… _Footsteps_!

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, Slayer, I did… Wait a sec…"

She concentrated again. They definitely were footsteps, but they were running away from them.

"What? They try to kill us, and now they're running away? What the hell?"

"That's it, I'm going out."

"No!"

He ignored her plea and stood out of the car. Buffy did the same and joined him on his side of the vehicle. Side by side, they scanned the night. The footsteps had disappeared.

"So…" Buffy ventured. "Do you think they really wanted to kill us, or just make a diversion?"

"Beats me. Could just be a crap shot and got scared."

"It's just too strange, I…" Her cell phone rang, ending that conversation. She flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Buffy, it's Willow. You might want to come back home."

"Why, what happened?" Immediately terrifying images of Gayle dancing naked on the front lawn filled her mind.

"Drusilla's on the front porch."

"_WHAT?"_

"Ouch, easy on the eardrums! She's here, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but… she's asking for you!"

"Ooookay… again with the incredulous 'what'?"

"I know! She's even being polite and stuff, well in a really creepy way, but still… and I definitely think she's responsible for Gayle's state now!"

"Why? Did she say so? Did Miss Edith say so?"

"No, but that's the totally wiggy thing… Buffy, I think she's sane!"

Buffy's eyes went wide in disbelief. "Erm, Willow…"

"She's making full non-cryptic sentences, Buffy! I don't know if she wasn't less scary without her marbles, but please come home soon! She's like… waiting! She won't leave!"

"Okay, we'll be right there, don't invite her in!"

"Well, duh!"

Buffy clapped her phone shut and turned to Spike. "Drusilla's –"

"I heard. Vamp hearing, remember? Let's go."

They got back into the car and drove off in a loud engine roar.

"How could she be sane again?" Buffy asked, her voice slightly shrill with worry.

"No idea, pet, but I'm not liking this one bit. Though it might explain why couldn't sense her earlier… Told you something must'ave been different 'bout her… Just din't think it would be that much of a difference…"

A question had suddenly arisen in Buffy's mind. She took a deep breath before voicing it:

"Do you think she's here for you? To get you back?"

Spike didn't answer. He just kept staring at the road.

Buffy was slightly annoyed at this. "Well, what if she is? Are you gonna take off with her again?"

Spike looked at his Slayer straight in the eye. "Honestly, pet, I'm not sure…"

Buffy frowned. "That's an awful lot of 'I don't know's in one night! Especially for you!"

"Yes, Slayer… some of us don't have answers, and others don't know what they want… How's that for soddin' balance?"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

The moment they stopped in front of Buffy's house and got out of the car, he knew Willow had been right.

Drusilla had spotted him immediately, and welcomed him with the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen on _her_ face. She was dressed very simply, in a red loose top and tight-fitted jeans, her hair untied and framing her face, making her skin look paler and her eyes wider.

She ran to him, actually _ran_, crossing the lawn with shining eyes and opened arms, while the girls Scoobs looked from the opened front door.

Spike's mind went blank. He forgot everything and everyone around and ran into her arms, wrapping his own around her frail frame and holding her close. This was the moment he had dreamt of during a full century! His Drusilla, his dark goddess, sane and healthy! He couldn't believe it!

Drusilla pushed her body against his in a tight embrace, her arms around his neck and nuzzling the crook of his shoulder. "My Spike!" she cried out in a voice strangled with emotion. "My William! I've missed you so!"

Spike pulled back slightly and took her face in his hands to contemplate. Her eyes… he'd never seen them like this! No longer empty and haunted, but clear and conscious and full of love! "Dru, love… I don't believe this!"

"Believe it, my sweet! It's real!" she said, and flattened herself against him.

Buffy stared at the lovers. Her face was a mask of pain and she had to fight the tears back. _It's just two people who have been very close in the past and are finding each other after a long time… it's nothing…_

_It's not 'nothing'… This is real… their love is real… he still loves her… her…_

Against all expectations, Spike broke the embrace first. "Dru, sweetheart… What are you doing here?"

Her answer was like a knife in Buffy's heart: "I came for you, my sweet prince! Why else would I be here?"

_That's it: he's going the scoop her up, get into the car and leave! So long, Hellmouth! So long Buffy! _

"Dru, I don't understand: how did this happen?"

"You mean me not being a screamin' nutter anymore? Well it's a long story…" Her face became serious all of a sudden. "But I have a serious matter to discuss with you first… with you and the Slayer."

Buffy's head shot up. "Me?"

"Yes, both of you. It's very important."

"First tell us what you did to Gayle!" Dawn cried out from the porch.

"Who is Gayle?" Drusilla asked Spike.

"The girl you met earlier and seem to have swapped marbles with you!" he answered in a bitter tone.

"I didn't know you knew her. I didn't know, I promise you! I just came across her and… well…"

"Yes? What exactly did you do?" asked Willow, coming out of the house and joining them.

"Willow!" cried out Buffy. "Go back the house!"

"It's quite alright", said the vampires, "I did not come here to fight or harm your friends."

"Oh really?" the Slayer huffed. "And I should believe you why? There's a girl inside who would strongly disagree to your 'non-harminess', if she was in a fit state!"

"I know you have no reason to trust me…"

"You got that right!"

"Buffy, please!" Spike interrupted. "Let her speak."

Buffy tried not to let them see how hurt she was. Spike was taking the other girl's side. _It's normal_, her inner voice told her. _He probably can't help it: how long has he been taking care of her, protecting her? It's normal…_

"Okay, then, Drusilla. Why are you here?"

"I was in Iran recently and while I was there, I had a vision…"

"What were you doing there?" asked Spike, an eyebrow raised.

"Bob and I were visiting some relatives of his."

"Who the bloody hell is Bob?"

Drusilla suddenly looked embarrassed. "He's… erm… well, he's my… was my…"

The penny dropped in Spike's head. "He's that Fungus Demon, innit? The one you dumped me for? Christ, Dru, that was bad enough, but his name is 'Bob'?"

"Could we get back on track here, please?" said Buffy irritably. "Drusilla, please continue."

To Buffy's amazement, Drusilla looked… grateful? "Thank you. So, as I was saying, I had a vision. Or more like something was pulling me in a certain direction, like a beacon. It led me to a cave near the Caspian Sea. It was rumored to house great powers, and would only open to one person, who had been prophesized many centuries ago. It opened to me."

"Why you?"

"I think because I sired William, and because he became yours."

"He's not –"

"What do we have to do with this?" Spike interrupted again. "And Gayle?"

"I'm getting to that. I found two things in that cave, come with me."

She led them to the porch. Leaning against the wall near the door was a seven-sided slab of marble, about twenty inches across, that nobody had noticed until then. Willow approached it, and held her hands out to lift it.

"I wouldn't do that, deary" said Drusilla. "It's extremely heavy, a normal human would have great trouble lifting it."

Willow thought for a second about doing a levitation spell, but remembering previous discussions with Tara, ended up deciding against it. Instead, she moved aside and let the vampires seize the piece of stone.

"This," she said, handing out the artifact to the Slayer, "is one of the things I found."

Buffy took the artifact and examined it. It was indeed heavy, had she not had her slayer strength, she would have dropped it. It was made of white marble and the surface was divided into seven equal parts, like slices of pie. Each part was engraved with lettering in different languages and characters.

Drusilla continued. "I couldn't decipher everything, only the part in Latin. Oh, and here is the other." She got out of her front pocket a small leather drawstring pouch, obviously old and worn. She opened it for them to see: it was empty, but remnants of a pinkish powder were lining the inside. "This was full of a magical powder, supposedly healing. However, it doesn't exactly heal. It… removes the ailment temporarily… or more exactly, it swaps ailments between the sick person and a healthy one. Any kind of ailment."

Buffy and Spike looked at each other, then back at Drusilla. "Is that what happened to Gayle?"

"Yes… I assure you, I did not know she was a friend of yours! I've been using that powder ever since I found the stone. I had to get back here, but Bob wouldn't help me, and they rarely let an insane person on a plane alone."

"So you've been swapping sanities with several people?" Buffy exclaimed. "And you said you wouldn't harm anyone?"

"Like I said, the effects are only temporary. It only lasts a few hours, all those people are well now, I swear! Your friend will be fine soon."

Spike approached his former lover with a worried look. "What about you? The pouch is empty now…"

She looked back at him with a sad smile. "That's right, my prince. It's the end of the road for Sane Dru."

"No… no, luv, we've got two powerful witches here, they'll help you! We'll find a way to make it permanent and Chirpy better, won't we girls?" he asked Willow and Tara in a sob.

The witches exchanged glances. "I-if we had more time, and the original composition of the powder, maybe, but…"

"No!" he raged. "No 'maybes', no 'buts'! You can do it, I'm sure you can!"

Buffy felt ready to cry. _He wants her back, it's obvious… you were just a consolation prize…_

Drusilla cupped his cheek. "It's alright, my sweet. I did what I had to do, the rest does not matter…"

"Yes, it bloody well does! You didn't deserve this, Dru, nobody does!"

"Maybe not, but maybe it was for a reason. I brought you the stone, the powder has outlived its usefulness…"

"But why? Why was it so important to bring us that rock?"

She smiled again, a knowing smile. "Because, my William, it's about –"

She suddenly jerked forward and into his arms. The impact made the couple topple to the floor. Buffy and Willow stared in shock at the crossbow bolt lodged in Drusilla's shoulder…

Buffy spun quickly getting into battle stance and scanning her surroundings, when she heard a cry from inside the house…

"Guys! Over here!"

Dawn was the first to react and ran into the house. Gayle was still in her chair, but her eyes were focused again.

"Gayle?" the teen enquired.

"Yeah, I'm back! Untie me, quickly!"

Dawn did so, and as soon as Gayle was freed she ran out. She briefly saw Spike on the floor of the porch, holding the barely conscious body of her "attacker", but quickly went to Buffy's side.

"Over there!" the brunette pointed at a shadow walking away down the street. Both Slayers ran after it and caught up with the form in no time. Gayle grabbed the shape by its shoulder and made it turn around.

"Hey buster; you're not getting – oh!"

The man was tall, a handsome smiling face, a bit boyish but still comely, dressed in black… and wore a priest's collar.

"Sorry, Padre… didn't mean to jump you like that…"

The priest smiled kindly, as if to say it was no bother, and extended a hand… _with a crossbow in it!_

"Gayle!" Buffy screamed and pulled her sister slayer out of harm's way. The bolt missed them by a hair.

They both got back to their feet in a second and Gayle advanced on the priest, send a powerful kick that knocked the crossbow out of his hand. "You're not a real padre, you filthy –"

She was interrupted when the priest, moving at lightning speed, had seized her by the throat and started lifting her off the ground…

"T'is not your place to judge me, vile temptress!" he said with a heavy southern accent before throwing Gayle away. She landed hard on her back ten feet behind. Buffy came to the rescue, trying to punch the priest, but he caught her fist in his large hand, then twisted her arm violently. She cried out before he pushed her away. She landed just besides Gayle and they helped each other up.

She turned to their attacker: "Who are you and what do you want?"

"I do not believe you earned the answers to those questions, but I'll answer anyway: my name is Caleb, and I wanted the vamp-girl dead. It is done, so now I shall take my leave."

"Oh yeah?" Buffy huffed. "Well either you know nothing about vampires or you're just a cocky crap shot! You like totally missed the heart, buddy!"

Caleb chuckled. "I have to admit my aim could be better. I'm more of a contact person. However in this case it didn't matter. 'As water spilt on the ground, she cannot be gathered up again'."

The Slayers looked at each other, puzzled. Then Buffy's eyes went wide in realization:

"'Water'?"

Gayle blanched, then turned to the priest: "You sunuva –"

But her insult met nothing but air. The priest had disappeared. They no longer felt his presence either.

They sprinted back to the house, where the whole gang was out the porch. Spike was cradling Drusilla's thin unmoving body, Willow was bent over her and performing a healing spell that just wasn't working while onlookers Tara and Dawn were hugging each other. Both Slayers stopped close to the undead couple.

Spike lifted his face to the group. "She's fading… I can feel her fading… but that bolt was nowhere near the heart! She can't be dusting!"

Gayle looked at him wearily. "I'm sorry, Spike… The bolt was poisoned with holy water… she's dying…"

Spike gasped in horror. He turned to Willow and shouted at her: "Do something!"

Willow slowly shook her head. "I can't… the poison is already in her system, it's destroying her from the inside… there's nothing I can do…"

Spike looked back at his Sire. Her eyes were open, with that familiar absent tinge to them, and she was looking back at him with great tenderness.

"My sweet William… my Spike… how good we have played together…"

"We'll play again, sweetness, I promise, just hold on…"

"No, my prince… this time is my time… we were happy, weren't we?"

Spike struggled to find his voice. "Yes, my darling, we were…"

Buffy couldn't tear her gaze away from the heart-breaking scene being played in front of her. Her inner turmoil was worse than ever. On one side she felt so envious of the couple's tenderness and intimacy, and on the other her heart went to Spike, for she knew he was losing the woman that had been his whole world for over a century…

"The love we had… so beautiful…" Drusilla continued in a weaker and weaker voice.

"It was… God, baby, don't do this to me…"

"I'm sorry… I love you, my William…"

"Oh, Dru… I love you too…"

Buffy felt her body turn to ice. She never would have thought it would hurt this much…

Spike pressed his forehead against Drusilla's. Slowly, as the poison made its way through her system, her body turned in to ashes: first her limbs, then her abdomen… She kept her eyes wide open and fixated on her Childe until they became dust… and Spike found himself with an armful of nothing…

Seized by the pain of losing his Sire and former love, Spike forgot all about the people present and started sobbing, clutching his dust-filled hands to his chest. He felt suddenly so empty, so lost… and so definitely alone.

Buffy let her tears out. She cried for Spike's pain, for the loves they both lost, for everything they had done to each other and made everything in between so hurtful and complicated… She wanted to go to him, to hold him to her, to kiss him and tell him that everything would be alright. But she couldn't. Her feet refused to move.

Instead, to everyone's surprise, it was Gayle who knelt beside the mourning vampire and wrapped her arms around his shoulder. Spike looked at her in disbelief, and saw that she was crying too… So he accepted the small comfort she offered. He pressed his head against her chest and let the tears flow while she held him close…

Buffy watched, powerless, as the man she could be falling for lost himself in another woman's arms…

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

The next night, Spike was missing. Buffy had asked him to come over so that they could make a plan with the rest of the Scoobies regarding the creepy priest, but he had not shown. All the girls had stayed home today to catch up on a much needed sleep, but it had been a restless one, all of them being upset and scared. Willow was particularly worried about Tara, who was still fragile, but the blonde witch kept reassuring her that she was alright.

It was half past eight, the sun had set for a while. Willow and Tara had gone to the library earlier to get some books to decipher the writings on the stone. Buffy was pacing in the foyer, worrying about Spike, when Gayle came down.

"Still not here, huh?" the dark-haired girl asked.

"No… I just hope he hasn't done something stupid, like going after Caleb alone."

"Why, Spike, doing something reckless and crazy and rash? That's preposterous!"

"Do you have any idea where he could be?"

Gayle raised an eyebrow. "Why are you asking me?"

"Well, you two are obviously… close."

_Oh my god_, thought Gayle. _What does she know?_ "Huh?"

"Aren't you like drinking buddies or something?"

Gayle inwardly sighed in relief. "Oh… that… yeah I guess. But I'm thinking he doesn't quite want to see me right now…"

"Why not?"

"He'd rather see you."

Buffy made a face. "Gayle, we've talked about this, it's…"

"… complicated, yes, I know. I also know how he looks at you, and how you look at him. I know for a fact that he'd rather be with you than anyone else…"

"No, you're wrong. You've seen him with Drusilla… there's… there's no way he wants me like he wants her… not that it matters anyway because there is no way this is happening."

Gayle gave her a pained smile and led her to the couch, where they sat and she took the blonde slayer's hand.

"Buffy…" Gayle said in a voice strangled with emotion. "I once loved someone… so much… God, just the thought of him hurts even now… He loved me back… but we got separated because he thought we didn't belong to the same world… with the call of duty and all that… Buff, he was the one. I'm not just saying that because I think I will never love another man like I loved him, but because I know that I will never love another man, period. You… the call of your duty will not be an obstacle. You actually have a chance at knowing bliss… don't throw it away."

Buffy looked into her sister slayer's eyes. There was so much love and compassion there…

"I love you, Mama Gayle, you know that?"

Gayle beamed her usual perfect smile. "I love you too, Baby Buffy! Don't you ever forget that!"

Buffy smiled with some difficulty and they high-fived.

There was a flash of light.

Blinking a couple of times, both girls looked at each other, Buffy's eyes going wide. Before a word was spoken, Gayle landed a powerful blow to Buffy's face. She toppled to the ground, but did not pass out. She tried to get back up, clearly disorientated, but Gayle grabbed her by the front of her shirt.

"I'm sorry…" she said softly, then punched the blonde again, and the small body went limp, unconscious.

She laid the petite body on the couch, propped her head up with some pillows and covered her with a blanket. She appeared to be merely sleeping.

Gayle then went to the door, taking Buffy's coat in the process. She then seemed to hesitate, put it back and took her purple jacket. She put it on then looked at the unconscious slayer.

"I'm so sorry, Gayle…" she said, then left the house.

_End of Chapter Eight._

_**Still with me? Feed the muse with reviews and I might not take so long in updating this time… **_

_**Disclaimer: Gayle sings "Help!" by the Beatles, and Caleb quotes (as usual) the Old Testament.**_


	9. Chapter 9 Dancing In The Dark

_**Merry Christmas to everyone! Here's my prezzie to all my faithful readers! Enjoy!**_

_**As some of you may have noticed, I work a lot with music on this fic. In this chapter, I'm using a song (not the intro one, the one played later in the Bronze) that some of you might claim my head for. I'm well aware that it was released years after BTVS ended, that it's supposedly a country song (eeeek!), and that the band was probably not even created then either. Well aware! But I was just troubled by that particular line: "**__**Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothin' at all". It just struck me how it fitted the whole of Buffy and Spike's destructive relationship during Season Six so perfectly… I just had to include it! Just listen to it while reading the scene, I'm sure you'll understand… **_

**Chapter Nine – Dancing In The Dark**

"_**I check myself out in the mirror I wanna change my clothes my hair my face  
Man I ain't getting nowhere just sitting in a dump like this  
There's something happening somewhere baby I just know that there is**_

_**[…] Stay on the streets of this town and they'll be carving you up alright  
They say you got to stay hungry hey baby I'm just about starving tonight  
I'm dying for some action I'm sick of sitting 'round here trying to write this book  
I need a love reaction come on now baby give me just one look**_

_**You can't start a fire, you can't start a fire without a spark  
This gun's for hire even if we're just dancing in the dark**__**"**_

_**Bruce Springsteen, **__**"Dancing in the Dark"**_

Buffy was walking awkwardly. Gayle's body was nearly a foot taller than hers and she was not used to being so tall without a nice pair of heels. Thank god the brunette slayer had chosen to wear snickers tonight…

_Why am I doing this? I must be crazier than Drusilla! I actually STOLE my friend's body to run after a freakin' vampire that I may or may not even like! I don't even know where he is right now! Crazy, I tell you! _

In a moment of clarity she decided heading for Willy's bar might be the best bet. If Spike wasn't there, somebody had to know his whereabouts…

With each step, she felt more confident. This body felt incredible! She could feel the power rush through her veins, and wondered a moment why. Did all tall people feel that way? Or was it because Gayle was tall _and_ a slayer? Or maybe she just felt the girl's natural self-confidence, she oozed it every single second to anyone who knew her.

Although, through all that, she did feel something strange… a slight discomfort around the shoulders, something between a tightness and a bruise… Probably leftovers from the fight with Caleb. Gayle had landed on her back, maybe the shoulders had gotten most of the shock. Maybe she could treat her to a nice massage at a spa…

_If she doesn't kill me first…_

When she arrived at Willy's, she took a deep breath before entering. She had never been a fan of the place. She felt very much like Little Red Riding Hood about to meet the wolf. As she came closer to the door, her "brave face" firmly on, it swung out and a huge, green demon with a head crowned with horns came out. She braced herself for attack, but the creature just nodded, said "Hi, Gayle" and held the door for her.

Buffy blinked a couple of times. Then she nodded back and put on what she hoped was a typical Gayle smile and went in.

The bar was a mess! Several tables were broken as well as some chair. The floor was covered in broken glass and spilled alcohol. Willy was busy picking up the debris and she noticed he had a black eye.

Willy raised his head as she approached and made a face. "Oh, not you now!"

"Huh? Why not me?"

"If you're looking for your boyfriend, you missed him by about an hour."

"My boy…? Spike? He's so not! Well I hope not… D'you know where he is now?"

"I'm not your damn vamp-sitter!"

"Well, did he say anything while was here?"

"Not much, just beat up a few of my regular, including yours truly", he indicated his black eye, "for info about a guy named Caleb. Nobody knew who it was, so he left. But one thing's for sure: that Caleb guy is in for a very painful and messy end…"

_You can say that again… and again... _"Did he say where he was going?"

"I already told you: I'm not…"

"A damn vamp-sitter, yeah, gotcha."

"You staying? 'Cos I got more of that bourbon today…"

"Ewww!"

"What d'ya mean, 'eww'? You polished off the whole bottle the other night!"

"Err, I meant: yum! Sounds delicious, but I'm in hurry, so rain check?"

Willy nodded. Buffy excused herself and left the bar. A _whole_ bottle of bourbon? But Gayle had shown absolutely no sign of a hangover the next day…

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Willow and Tara came home hand in hand, their backpacks filled with books. It was so good to be able to do that again! And Willow was getting giddy with the idea that it could be the same in ten, twenty years' time. "You know", she ventured, "we should get started on the whole wedding-planning. We haven't even set a date yet!"

"I meant to tell you about that… I was thinking Beltane or the next Summer Solstice…"

Willow made a face. "So far ahead?"

"I know, but with this new evil in town, we'll never be ready before winter, and I don't particularly fancy getting married with a wooly hat for a bridal tiara. Do you?"

"You've got a point there…"

"So I'm thinking, we research, move into our new home, kick evil's butt, celebrate, get a venue and get it on! How's that?"

Willow came closer to her lover and nuzzled her ear. "I liiike the way you think, baby…"

"Or, we could just go to Vegas and get it over and done with!"

"Not legal yet in Nevada either. I checked…"

"Drats. Oh, well, I guess we'll have to go through the whole _she_-bang anyhow…"

The witches entered the house in a fit of giggles. Willow stopped abruptly when she noticed Buffy apparently fast asleep on the couch. Willow gestured silence. While Tara went to wake their friend up, the redhead went to the dining room to unload the books and get the "researching party" ready. She then went to the kitchen to get some munchies ready.

That's when she noticed something was off. Dawn was at Janice's to study, but she was due any minute now, and usually Gayle would have gotten a full meal ready for the teenager. Gayle should have been there, swimming in a sea of pots and pans, or already cleaning…

Right on cue, Tara arrived in the kitchen: "Willow, there's something wrong with Buffy!"

Willow flew to the couch and crouched down beside the sleeper. A large bruise was forming on her cheek…

_What the heck? Slayers don't get marks easily, who did this to her? _ She held out her hand to shake her awake, but Tara stopped her:

"No! Don't wake her up!"

"Why not?"

"It's not Buffy!"

"Come again?"

"It's not Buffy! I-it's her body, but it's not Buffy in it!"

"What? How… why… it's not Buffy?"

"No, her aura's all wrong! Normally it's all gold with bits of silver and lavender, but now it's white and grayish a-and… so faint I can barely make it out!"

"Faint? She's _dying_?" the redhead panicked.

"No! No, she's not, don't worry! I said it was faint, not fainting. It's stable, but clouded, like it's hiding… but definitely not Buffy's!"

"Then who?"

"Don't know… never seen such an aura before. But maybe it's just because it's not in its rightful body…"

"Well, whoever it is, we're getting it out and Buffy back in… there! Wait a sec… if Buffy's not 'in there', where is she?"

"I'll set up for a locator spell, but I think you're asking the wrong question, baby."

"I am? So what's the right question?"

"If this is Buffy's body here, then where is she and in whose body? Also, since Buffy's body is the one lying here unconscious, then Buffy is most likely to have originated the swap…"

"What? No, I can't believe that, Buffy would not do something so… wrong! She must be out there, in the wrong body, going after the person who did launch the swap… Hey, maybe it's that Caleb guy! Oh gosh, we've got to get her back before she gets killed!" Suddenly Willow remembered her weird feeling from earlier… "Where's Gayle?"

The front door opened, and Willow expected it to be the dark-haired slayer, but instead Dawn came in.

The teen surveyed the threesome and saw the look on their faces… and her unconscious sister…

"Oh God, what's happened now?"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Buffy was getting seriously annoyed. She had been wandering the streets for nearly an hour, hoping her Slayer senses would allow her to pick up on Spike's vampire vibe. It kinda worked, just not the way she'd hoped: all she had found were a couple of fledges that dusted too quickly to even work out her frustration.

She was about to give up when she heard the music…

_Ooh baby, do you know what that's worth / ooh Heaven is a place on earth…_

… and realized it was coming from her pocket, or rather Gayle's. She fumbled in it and retrieved a cell phone.

_Belinda Carlisle for a ringtone? Corny much?_ She flipped it open. _Incoming call: Willow._

_Oh god! Not good not good not good! _She selected the option "ignore". She just wasn't up to a confrontation just yet… not that she'd ever be for that kind of confrontation. But it gave her an idea. She looked through the memorized numbers, and sure enough, there it was: _Spike_.

_Okay, so I'm the only one who DOESN'T have Spike's number._ She pressed "dial" and put the phone to her ear.

Three tones later: "Yeah?"

"Spike! Oh thank god, you're okay! I've been so worried! Don't ever do this to me again!"

"Who is this?"

"It's me, B – Gayle! Chirpy! The cute rock chick you spend way too much time with!" _Or at least I thought she was a rock chick until I found out what her ringtone was… totally blackmail material…_

"Sorry, pet, din't recognized you for a minute... Your voice went all shrill, you alrigh'?"

"NO!... I mean, I was worried, hence the shrilling, where are you?"

"At the Bronze, care to join me?"

_The Bronze? All this time he was at the Bronze? I'm worried sick and he's just having a night on the town?_ "Just… stay there, I'll be around in a sec!" She clapped the phone shut and almost ran to the club.

She found him at the bar, waiting for her with a sad smile floating on his face.

"Chirpy… we gotta stop meeting like this, pet…"

"You were supposed to meet us at my– Buffy's house hours ago!"

"I'm not on anyone's payroll therefore I don't have to be anywhere I don't bloody please."

"I've been to Willy's…"

"Ooh, did he tell you about the bourbon?"

"Yeah, he did, and also about you beating the crap out of his customers!"

"Needed info…"

"Yeah, I got that! Looks like you didn't get much…"

"Just having a break before I try and get some more…"

"Spike, you're not going after Caleb alone!"

"You stay out of this, Slayer…"

Buffy flinched for a second. She was pretty sure she had never heard Spike call Gayle 'slayer' before. "No, I won't! He is dangerous, Spike, I won't let you risk it alone!"

"He killed Dru! He killed the woman that saved me from a life of mediocrity and who was the most precious treasure in my unlife for twelve decades! He's going to suffer, Chirpy, mark my words!"

Buffy could see how determined he was, but she was just as determined to keep him from making a huge mistake. So she decided to take a different road…

"Spike…" she said softly "…it won't bring her back."

Spike squeezed his glass so hard it shattered in his hand. Several shards lodged themselves in his flesh and he started to bleed…

Buffy reacted in a flash. She led him to a darkened table, when back to the bar and asked for a glass of water. She went back to the table, put the glass down and rummaged through her pockets again. She found a delicately laced handkerchief. Sure that Gayle wouldn't mind, she dipped it in the water and started to dab at Spike's wounds. He didn't seem to mind, was not even surprised. Apparently, this wasn't the first time that Gayle was taking care of him. She felt a pang of jealousy that a near stranger could get so close to him…

She finished by wrapping the cloth around his hand, as a makeshift bandage. They hadn't exchanged a word the whole time she was playing nurse. She looked at his face: he was just staring at the floor, his mind no doubt filling with memories of his lost Sire… Then the music began…

A soft piano intro to a song she'd heard before on the radio. Not the kind of music usually played at the Bronze. But it gave her a crazy idea. Not the kind that Buffy would usually act upon… but then again, she wasn't Buffy tonight, was she?

_Picture perfect memories scattered all around the floor  
Reachin' for the phone 'cause I can't fight it anymore_

Buffy rose and held out a hand to the handsome vampire in silent invitation. She wanted to be close to him tonight, in this other body, no questions, no consequences. Just her knowing would be enough… for tonight anyway…

_And I wonder if I ever cross your mind  
For me it happens all the time_

Spike hesitated for a second. This was nowhere near his style of music, and he was not exactly the dancing type. But tonight… Tonight he felt so alone… One dance in the arms of a beautiful woman wouldn't hurt…

_It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now  
Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now_

Buffy smiled softly when he rose and took her hand. She led him to the dance floor and locked her hand behind his neck as she pressed her body against his. She stared into his ocean-deep eyes and let herself drown in them…

_And I don't know how I can do without  
I just need you now_

Spike wrapped his arms around the brunette's waist. She felt warm and soft, and she smelled nice. Of roses and cinnamon and potent slayer blood and… something else he couldn't quite identify. But he didn't care. He felt wanted and welcomed in her arms… maybe he could let himself pretend…

_Another shot of whiskey can't stop looking at the door  
Wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before_

_And I wonder if I ever cross your mind  
For me it happens all the time _

Buffy was about the same height as Spike now. She lodged her head in the crook of his shoulder and let herself go, breathing in his scent. She let him lead, wanting nothing more than to lose herself in sensation… sensation that _he_ only seemed to provide…

_It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now  
Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now_

Spike craned down slightly to nuzzle her hair. It couldn't hurt, could it? To be close to someone willing, not someone who would beat the crap out of him and insult him afterwards… It couldn't hurt…

_And I don't know how I can do without  
I just need you now_

They moved slowly, basking in each other's glow, enjoying the simple feel of the other's presence.

_Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothin' at all_

Buffy stiffened at the lyric. It embodied last year relationship with Spike so perfectly it sent a shiver down her spine. She had been feeling so empty and hollow, she had preferred to embark on a journey so dark in her eyes, rather than face reality. A reality in which she had to go on forever fighting.

That's how it had begun. A walk on the dark side. Like those people who cut themselves. It was about feeling though pain. But then it had developed into something else, something more… something deep. And it had scared her more than any apocalypse she had faced.

_It's a quarter after one I'm all alone and I need you now  
And I said I wouldn't call but I'm a little drunk and I need you now_

She straightened up and looked straight into his eyes. They were half closed but looking back from under luscious lashes. There was tenderness there, but no love. She wanted to see love in those eyes again. She _needed_ to see that love. She needed it _now_… needed _him _now…

_And I don't know how I can do without  
I just need you now_

Buffy pressed her lips against his. They felt so soft and welcoming. She slid her tongue softly against his bottom lip, begging for entrance, which he granted after only a second's hesitation. Their tongues then began a passionate dance of their own.

There it was. That feeling that she belonged in that moment, in that kiss, that being anywhere else doing anything else was alien and out of place. That feeling of his body pressed against her, like an armor protecting her from all the violence of the world. That feeling of the last puzzle pieces falling into place.

That feeling of life finally making sense.

Spike had hesitated for a second before kissing her back. He knew it was a dangerous road, but the feel of a hot, gorgeous body against his when he felt so alone was too much to resist. So he gave in. Gayle was kissing him differently than last time. Softer, sweeter… hungrier… more desperate… like Buffy's kisses…

_Buffy!_

Spike broke the kiss abruptly. "I'm sorry, pet, I can't do this…" He then proceeded to leave the club.

Buffy was in shock. What had just happened? Why had he stopped the kiss? Kissing was good, why was he not kissing her right now?

She went after him, managing to catch up with him in the back alley. "What the hell was that?"

"Look, I'm sorry if I ever led you to think we could be more than friends, Gayle, but we won't!"

"Gayle?...oh yeah, Gayle! Yes, Gayle is me, I'm totally Gayle!"

"… glad you came to this conclusion on your own – how many have you had tonight?"

"What? You think I'm drunk?"

"Aren't you?"

"No!"

"If you say so, pet… Anyway, go home now, I'm sorry, but I can't give you what you're asking of me…" He started to walk away into the night…

Buffy couldn't let this go now, she had gone too far. She had to make up something, quick. She went back into acting mode and caught up with him. She made him turn around and face her. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I kissed you, I shouldn't have done that! I just… thought you liked me and –"

"I do like you, Gayle! You're the closest thing I've had to a friend in years! And, lemme tell you, you're one hot bird too! If the circumstances were different, I'd have jumped in bed with you first chance I got!"

Buffy fought hard to repress a growl, but managed to stay in character. "So why didn't you?"

"Because… because even if I wanted to, I couldn't get Buffy out of my head! If we shagged, I couldn't help but think it would be her in my arms instead of you, and that would not be fair to you and… Are you blushing?"

Buffy's hands flew to her cheeks. "Err… No?"

"We've talked about sex dozens of times, Chirpy, it's the first time I see you blush! You sure you alrigh'?"

"We have? I mean, we have!" _Of course they have, Gayle's like super open-minded, and they're both hot, it was bound to come into the conversation sometimes, stop being jealous!_ "I'm… due my period anytime! Hot flushes!"

"S'plains a lot…"

"Ouch. But back to the topic: if you want m– Buffy so much, why do you always hang out with me? Why do you open up so much to me and not her?"

"She never asks…"

"Argh! You're infuriating!" she bursted, emphasing her words with a hand gesture.

Spike chuckled at that. "You've really been spending too much time with Summers, that's for sure…"

"What d'ya mean?"

"You're waving yer lil' fist in the air just like she does. Except that on her, it's cute."

_Quick, find something to save it!_ "Erm… that 'lil' fist' is going to end up in your face… darling!" _yeah, 'darling', that's a good typical Gaylism…_

"'Darlin'? That's how you call the girls, usually, innit?"

_Dammit!_ "Yeah, well… that's because you're acting like one!"

Spike's face fell. _'Score!'_ thought Buffy. "You're becoming as much of a bitch as 'er, too. Congrats, Masterson, you're officially a member of the Summers family!" He started to walk away.

Buffy suddenly had what she would qualify as a stroke of genius. She caught up with him and made him turn around again. "Alright, alright… PMS getting to me again, I apologize… Look, I have an idea. You two have obviously some major communication problem going on, so how's about a little role-play, huh? To try and see if you can actually communicate without things always ending in an argument?"

Spike cocked his head to the side, intrigued.

"Just imagine for one minute that I'm Buffy… what would you tell her?"

Spike was surprised at her idea, but shook his head almost immediately. "It doesn't matter, she wouldn't listen…"

"Yes, I woul – look, let's just pretend, okay? I'm Buffy, I'm Listening Girl, I'm here and I want to hear what you have to tell me and I'll shut up until you're done, okay? Ready, aim, fire!"

Spike took a deep breath and looked in the distance. "I would tell her… that I've made mistakes. Awful mistakes. That I lost control, like the bloody song said. But I also would tell her that… that I've been around a while and…"

Buffy groaned. "And played the field a bit, yeah, real smooth…"

"You said you'd shut up!"

"Sorry! My bad!"

"I swear, you're as bad as 'er!"

_There's a perfectly NOT reasonable explanation for that…_ "I'm sorry, okay? I promise I won't interrupt anymore! Please carry on? Please?... just… imagine I'm her."

Spike looked at his friend again. This was typically Chirpy behavior, alright. And he knew she would not let go… So he closed his eyes, and persuaded himself that Buffy was actually here. When he opened them, he looked at Gayle directly in the eyes. He had never noticed how they were the exact same shade of green as Buffy's…

"Buffy... I've been alive a bit longer than you, and dead a lot longer than that. I've seen things you couldn't imagine, and done things I prefer you didn't. Don't exactly have a reputation for being a thinker. I follow my blood... which doesn't exactly rush in the direction of my brain. So I make a lot of mistakes. A lot of wrong bloody calls. A hundred-plus years, and there's only one thing I've ever been sure of. I'm not asking you for anything. When I say I love you, it's not because I want you, or because I can't have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you _are_. What you do. How you try. I've seen your kindness, and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you, and I understand, with perfect clarity, exactly what you are. You're a _hell_ of a woman. You're the One, Buffy. "

Buffy felt the tears threatening to spill. _I don't want to be the One_, was what she almost said, what she should have said, what her slayer instincts told her to say. But she couldn't. 'Cos she did want to be the One. _His_ One. She couldn't deny it anymore now: everything in her now screamed that she should be in his arms, that no-one else in the whole world was better suited for her, that she wasn't better suited for anyone but _him_…

Throwing caution to the wind, she closed the distance between them and cupped his face. She was about to kiss him again when he violently pushed her away.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

Buffy was startled, the shock of rejection made everything that had happened tonight come crashing down on her.

_Oh my god… what have I done?_

"Spike… I've done something really, _really_ wrong…"

Spike's head tilted. "What's that, pet?"

She started crying. "It's me… I'm Buf–"

Her eyes suddenly rolled back and she lost balance. Spike caught her in the nick of time, but her weight made them both topple to the floor.

"Jesus, Chirpy, this goin' to become a regular thing with you?"

Slowly, the woman in his arms came to. She looked around, seemingly not remembering where she was. Her hand went to her cheek looking for something that wasn't there. Then she looked up. "S-Spike?"

"Yeah, luv, righ' here with you."

She blinked. "…Where is 'here'?"

"Outside the Bronze, what's wrong with you?"

"Can't be the Bronze! I was on the couch, I was talking to Buffy and I…"

She suddenly remembered: the flash of light… opening her eyes to see her own face looming over her…

She felt her blood turn to ice…

"Oh my god… she took… she used… oh dear god…"

"Erm, Chirpy? You're starting to worry me here…"

Gayle gathered her arms up, hugging herself, and started trembling. She fought back the tears.

"Buffy, she… she stole my body… I don't know how or why…"

"You mean that wasn't you I…"

"NO! IT WASN'T!" Gayle's face had morphed into a mask of rage. She held out her hand in a commanding gesture.

"Gimme your car keys."

"What for?"

"Make a pie. Just gimme!"

"Alrigh', alrigh'! Bossy chit… What are you gonna do?" he asked, dropping his keys into her hand.

"Got a slayer to kill."

Spike stiffened. He knew that tone, she wasn't joking…

He tried to stop her as she walked away, but was stopped abruptly by a mean kick to his abdomen that sent him crashing into a wall.

"Don't get in my way, William! You could seriously get hurt!"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

"She's coming around! It worked!"

Buffy felt like she had been on a rollercoaster. The ones you find in scary theme parks, that get you upside down more often than not and in the end are not as fun as they look. She struggled to open her eyes. She was lying on the bed of her bedroom. Said bed had been surrounded in candles and there was an herbal scent floating around. Dawn was sitting next to her, and Willow and Tara were standing a few feet back. It was obvious they had been doing magic to get her back in her own body.

"Hey sis, welcome back. Where have you been?"

Buffy looked at her sister, sat up and pulled her in a crushing hug. Dawn was surprised, but feeling her sister's distress, she hugged her back as tight as she could. Buffy started crying.

"Buffy, what happened?" asked Willow worriedly.

After several minutes, Buffy let go of Dawn, and wiped her eyes. "I… was in Gayle's body…"

"Gayle took your body?"

"No… I took hers…"

"_You_ did? Why?"

Buffy looked at her friends, and in front of their worried yet caring stares, she talked. Told them all about her feelings for Spike, her doubts, her needs… everything that had led her to tonight's actions, as well as the events she had gone through while in Gayle's body.

"Buffy…" started Willow when the petite blonde had finished her tale. "I don't understand… why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you through your pain… what made you think that stealing a body was okay?"

"I didn't think! I just… had the occasion… I feel so bad about this! What did I do? I'm so sorry!"

Dawn chimed in. "It's Gayle you should apologize to. But knowing her, she'll forgive you in no time…"

A crashing noise came from downstairs, no doubt the doors being kicked in, seconds before a voice bellowed:

"_SUMMERS!"_

The girls looked at each other.

"… but I've been wrong before" finished Dawn. "I'll go see her, try and calm her down."

Dawn went to the landing just as Gayle was coming from the stairs.

"Hey Gayle, what's up?"

"Not you, the other one" the brunette said curtly and pushed the teen aside.

She went straight for Buffy's bedroom. Buffy was waiting for her at the door with tears in her eyes.

Gayle roared: "What did you do?"

"Gayle, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to…"

"Didn't mean to what? Steal my body? Beat me? _Use me_?"

"Look, you have every right to be mad at me but…"

"I have been nothing but good to you! I have done nothing worth this since I arrived!"

"I know you haven't, and I swear it will never happen again…"

"Damn right it won't!"

She lunged at Buffy, grabbing her by the neck and shoulders as the two began to wrestle on the landing, Buffy trying to get free while staying out of harm's way, and Gayle trying to land a blow anywhere she could.

The other girls could only stare and hope. Willow couldn't separate them even using magic, she was too scared to hurt either girl. They both had been through so much already tonight…

Gayle managed to get free for a second, but was propelled backwards just as she was about to land a punch.

Spike had appeared behind her so fast, neither slayer had seen him. He held Gayle in a tight shoulder lock as she fought to get free, to no avail.

"I – told – you – to – stay – out – of – my – way - William!" she growled, and threw her head backwards, hoping to head-butt him in the nose. She missed, but the violent and extremely strong movement was enough to make them both lose their balance… From there, everything happened quickly.

Buffy heard a crushing noise.

There was a flash of light.

Spike and Gayle tumbled down the stairs.

Buffy screamed and ran after them.

She found them lying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. She called the girls to help her and they brought the bodies to the lounge, where they were propped onto the couch for Gayle and the large comfy chair for Spike.

Willow checked for broken bones: there were none. They probably would be in for a good concussion, but their respective vampire and slayer healing would probably take care of that.

Buffy felt awful. She could only stare at her friend and her vampire. _I did this_, she thought. _It's all my fault_…

Dawn sensed her pain. "It's not your fault… you couldn't predict this…"

"It _is_ my fault. I don't know what came over me… I should have realized…"

"Buffy?" Tara interrupted. "I found this on the landing…"

She held out her hand for Buffy to see. In her palm laid several crumbs of green gravel.

Buffy recognized it at once. The body-swapping crystal she had used. She must have dropped it during the fight with Gayle. One of them must have stepped on it and it crumbled. _Good_, she thought. _At least it won't hurt anyone else now…_

"Buffy!" Willow called out, "Gayle's coming to!"

Buffy went to crouch beside her sister slayer. "Mama? How are you feeling?"

Gayle scrunched her eyes and rubbed her head. Groaning, she spoke in a deep voice with a strong British accent:

"Mmm… what the bloody hell happen'd?"

_End of Chapter Nine._

_**Okay so last chapter got so little reviews, it's really not encouraging. AT ALL! I mean, a great thank you to my few reviewers, however it's just really, Really, REALLY frustrating to see a hundred-odd hits on a story and only two people took the time to give their opinion… makes me think that the rest just stumbled upon my story by accident… I'm sure my fellows fanwriters will understand my point of view. So, PLEASE, people! Make a bloody effort! Even bad reviews are welcome! Yes, really! I'm that desperate! **_

_**Oh, and Spike's (famous) quotes are from the Season Seven episode "Touched", written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, though I really wish I'd come up with that speech… I mean, how beautiful was that?**_

_**The Song: "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum. I just heard it on the radio the other day, and I was just 'wowed'… I rarely listen to country music or soppy love songs usually, I'm a rock chick at heart, but this one… wow…**_

_**If I don't update by then: HAPPY NEW YEAR! LOVE YOU ALL!**_


	10. Chapter 10 I'm Sorry I'm Bad

_**Did I keep you on your toes long enough? Thanks for all the lovely reviews, I do feel better now that I know I'm not writing for nothing. Well okay, technically, I am writing for squat, but still…**_

_**Now where were we? Ah, yes, the out-of-body experience… (allright, that's a quote from John Woo's "Face Off", and it did sound way creepier when John Travolta said it…). So some people are not happy, and rightfully so… I mean, how mad would you feel if you woke up in Spike's bod – on second thoughts, don't answer that… **_

_**Expect lots of swearing… I own nothing…**_

**Chapter Ten – I'm Sorry I'm Bad**

"_**This time I think I'm to blame**_

_**[…] You get older and blame turns to shame**_

_**Cause everything inside it never comes out right**_

_**And when I see you cry it makes me wanna die**_

_**I'm sorry I'm bad, I'm sorry you're blue**_

_**I'm sorry 'bout all the things I said to you**_

_**And I know I can't take it back**_

_**I love how you kiss, I love all your sounds**_

_**And baby the way you make my world go round**_

_**[…]Every single day I think about how we came all this way**_

_**The sleepless nights and the teas you cried**_

_**It's never too late to make it right."**_

_**Buckcherry, "I'm Sorry"**_

"Erm, Gayle? What's with the accent?" Buffy asked, confused.

The newer Slayer's face narrowed her eyes, obviously not understanding the question. "After all these years, Summers, now you make fun of my speech? That's rich…"

"All these…" Buffy stopped dead. It all came back to her in a flash: the fight between Gayle and Spike, the crushing noise, the flashing light…

"S-Spike?"

"Well yeah, who d'you think… why do I sound funny?"

Buffy and Willow looked at each other, trying to decide silently who was going to tell him exactly why his voice had suddenly gone from tenor to falsetto, when suddenly he noticed his hand. Long and thin fingers, small delicate knuckles, soft pink skin… and a French manicure. _Oh please no…_

He jumped to his feet, or rather, Gayle's. He looked at Buffy, then Dawn, then the witches… then at his unconscious body resting across the room in the large armchair. He looked back at Buffy:

" That's me! That's me over there! Why am I over there? I should be right here, not in there, looking at… hey, my roots need re-doing…"

Buffy put her hands on his shoulders. "I'm so sorry Spike! This is all my fault…"

"It is?"

"Yeah, well, not intentionally, but…"

"Buffy, what did you do?"

Not knowing where to begin, Buffy looked to Willow for help. The red-haired witch nodded and started to enunciate the events of the evening.

When she was done, Spike's mouth was agape and looked nowhere near closing…

"You were in Chirpy's body? All night?" he asked Buffy.

"Yes…"

"So… you heard…"

A nod.

His face turned angry. "Got your rocks off, did you?"

"What?"

"This is your new game, is it? New version of 'kick the Spike'? Found a new way of toying with me? Tell me, Slayer, how amusing did you find my little exposé back there?"

"Spike…"

"No, really, I wanna know! On a scale of one to ten? Wanted to find out just how pathetic I could get? Bloody hell…"

"No, Spike please! I did not want to make fun of you!"

"Then what was all of this shit about?"

Buffy took a deep breath, but could not stop the words from coming out: "About me being a coward."

Spike looked at her, and the utter look of despair on her face. He felt totally lost…

"God, I need a fag…"

He went quickly to the unconscious body on the couch and after a quick search through his duster, got his cigarettes and his Zippo out.

Willow got to her feet. "Hey! No polluting of Gayle's lungs!"

"Like it's gunna make a bloody difference!"

Buffy chimed in. "Spike, I realize this is a less-than-nice situation, but I won't let you smoke while you're in that body! I mean it! Think about Gayle!"

"I am! She's a smoker!"

"What? No, she's not!"

"Yes she is! … you're telling me you've never seen her light up before?"

When he saw Buffy's confused face, he went to Gayle's Jacket and rummaged through the pockets. He extracted a pack of thin cigarettes with a swan-like design on the front, and a pink jeweled lighter.

Buffy's mouth fell open. She had never seen Gayle with a cigarette before! She had naturally assumed that, working in healthcare, the girl was on the whole "my-body-is-a-temple" routine.

Spike looked around a saw a similar aspect on all the girls' faces. They _really_ had no idea…

"Guess she was just considerate enough never to do it inside the house. Makes a nice change. Girls… jus' how much do you know about Chirpy?"

Several opened their mouth to speak, but right on cue, Gayle whimpered.

Dawn beamed. "She's alright! ... well sort of. Gosh she's going to freak!"

Everyone started to prepare themselves mentally for the disaster about to happen…

Gayle stirred, then a hand went up to rub the back of her/Spike's head. She slowly opened her eyes, took in her surroundings… she was sitting on the couch in Buffy's house… it was nighttime… the girls were there, looking at her: Tara, Dawn, Willow, Buffy, Gayle… _Gayle?_

Spike cocked his/her head to the side. "Hullo, pet… see anything you like?"

As Gayle took in the sight before her, her eyes went wider and wider… You could almost _see_ the horror welling up inside of her…

Spike briefly turned to the Scoobies. "Brace yourselves, kids, this is gunna be a sharp one…"

Gayle indeed screamed at the top of her now-dead lungs. "_OH MY GOOOOOOOD!_"

Spike huffed. "Wasn't that bad…"

"_YOU!_" Gayle roared, pointing at Buffy. "You're responsible for this, I know you are!"

Buffy looked guilty. "Erm, technically, yeah I am, but I swear Gayle, that was so not part of the plan…"

"'The plan'? There was a 'plan'? Planning on what, finishing what Drusilla started?"

"Okay this is just weird to hear that coming from Spike's mouth, and extremely unsettling, but I'll try to overlook that… Look, let's all sit down, okay? I'll make some cocoa…"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

A few minutes later, everyone was sitting around the kitchen island with a cup of liquid chocolatey goodness. Having run out of ingredients for bringing Buffy back into her own skin, Willow had just finished making calls for reinforcements (Giles for wisdom, Anya for magickal supplies and Xander for comic relief). Gayle was clutching her head above her steaming mug and rocking back and forth.

"This is a nightmare… a horrible, horrible nightmare… anytime now, I-I'm going to wake up, and I-I will be in my bed in my favorite softie nightgown, the cream cotton and viscose one that's ever so soft, and realize it's all been a horrible, horrible nightmare… Now! ... Or now! Or…" she pinched herself on the back of the hand, "… now! AAAAARFGH! Oh, why oh why is this happening to me?"

"Think this a barrel of fun for me?" intervened Spike. "I'm worse off than you are!"

"How so?"

"I'm a bloody woman!"

That comment earned him some hard stares from every other 'bloody woman' present.

"Guess I'm missed yet another opportunity to shut up, right?"

The ladies nodded slowly.

"Well, can't hit me, remember? Not my skin that'll be bruised!"

Gayle growled. "I could live with a few bruises…"

"Oi! What did I do to you?"

"What did you do? If you hadn't stopped me, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"So what was I s'posed to do? Let you kill Buffy?"

"Pff, I wasn't gonna kill her!"

"Coulda fooled me!"

"At worse I was gonna rough her up a little… It's not like she didn't deserve it!"

"Hey!" the aforementioned _she _protested.

Gayle, her eyes (or rather Spike's) almost a blaze of pure rage, turned abruptly to face Buffy: "Don't you FUCKING dare start with me! I'll fucking finish what I started, I swear!"

Buffy was startled. Gayle seldom cursed. She looked at her friends: nobody seemed surprised. _Guess I had this coming… _"I am sorry, okay? How many times do you want me to apologize?"

"_Apologize_? You think you can just _apologize_ and make everything go away? You _stole_ my freaking body, Buffy, do you actually have any idea how wrong that is? And now, you've also dragged Spike into this! God, I could… I could… Aaargh! I'm so mad at you right now!"

"Well that makes a change" said Xander as he entered the kitchen with a large pizza box in his hands. "It's slightly different from the whole 'oh-Buffy-I-adore you' stuff you've gotten us used to, Blood Breath."

Tara whispered to Willow: "You didn't tell him?"

"Honestly? I had no idea how to start… I just told all of them we had a situation. I mean, how do you explain something like this _over the phone_?"

"Explain what?" asked an intrigued Xander.

Once again, the tale was told. Xander stood there with eyes as big as saucers. His eyes traveled from Spike to Gayle, from Gayle to Spike… He was a nanosecond away from laughing when Gayle warned in a low menacing voice:

"You laugh, you die."

Xander bit his tongue. "Sorry… it's just… Spike's in a girl's body…" He almost laughed again.

"Yeah?" growled Gayle. "Can we think a little about the girl in question? Did you get the whole 'body-swapping' thing? Think I'm having fun?"

Xander dropped the smile. "I'm sorry, Mama Gayle. That was inconsiderate of me. Don't worry, we'll get you back in your own head in no time!" He then turned to Spike: "How're you holding on, man?"

Spike stared at him, then looked around to see if Xander had been talking to someone else. Nope.

"Err… not too bad… thanks?"

"I got pizza, if anyone wants some" the young man said while putting the box down on the counter. Dawn grabbed a slice enthusiastically and then everybody tuck in. Except for Gayle.

Spike leaned closer to her. "You can eat normal food, you know."

"I know."

"You won't need to drink blood. I filled up earlier in the evening. You'll be okay at least until tomo –"

"I just don't want the damn food, okay?"

Dawn tried to lighten the mood: "Hey! The pizza never did anything to you!"

"Well then, the pizza and I have a lot in common. Enjoy stuffing yourselves." She got up and left the room, almost bumping into Anya who just came in with a large paper bag.

"Gayle? Why are you in Spike's body?"

Everyone gasped. "How can you…?"

"Oh, please! I've seen enough swaps in my time. Now in understand the list of supplies."

Willow and Tara came forward and took the bag off her hands. "Do you have everything?"

"No, I was out of Sedochian Pine root. But not to worry, I called a friend of mine, she had some spare, and she's bringing it later. I gave her the address, but she's out of town, so she will be at least a couple of hours."

Tara raised an eyebrow: "A demon friend?"

"No, actually, Sally's a Dryad, a forest nymph. She works as a landscaper for the city. I do have connections outside the demon world, you know. Receipt's in the bag."

Before either witch could look through their purse, Gayle had produced two $100 dollars bills and was handing them to Anya. "Keep the change."

Anya beamed. This was the biggest tip she ever got. She snapped the bills and slipped them in her bra. When she got some curious looks, she said: "What? I've been told it's a very good hiding place! Well it is when Xander is actually _not_ ripping it off to –"

"Anh!" squeaked Xander. "TMI again!"

Anya just huffed and shrugged. However, her use of present tense had not escaped anyone's attention… There were amused glances and smirks exchanged.

"So, Spike," Anya continued, "what's it like to be inside a woman's body in a non-sexual way?"

Gayle actually screamed her embarrassment. Spike wasn't far behind when the front door opened. Giles entered, his arms filled with ancient-looking books. Unaware as well of the situation, he was surprised to see the dark-haired Slayer run towards him.

"Oh Jesus Christ, Rupert! I never thought I'd say this, but am I bloody glad to see you!"

Giles looked at the brunette. He quickly caught on: "Spike?"

"Yes, it's me! Well, not me, but it is me! In here!"

"Oh dear Lord, what happened this time?"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Giles finished polishing his glasses. "So, let me see if I got this right… So far we have an ancient marble slab needing deciphering, a sociopathic physically-enhanced priest, one fourth of the Scourge of Europe turned to ashes, a bunch of melting young men, and a full body swap between a Master vampire and a newly called Slayer. Have I gotten everything?"

The 'party' had moved to the living room. He was sitting on the couch with a cup of tea that Spike had made 'because Americans can't bloody make it right'. Everyone slowly nodded at his summary of the situation. Xander turned to Gayle: "Never a dull moment on the Hellmouth! Dontcha just love it?"

She just glared at him. "Right now? Not so much."

Giles kept going. "Right. So while we wait for the remaining ingredient, maybe I could have a look at that disk?"

Buffy nodded and went to get it. The disk being too heavy for Giles to handle, they made some space on the coffee table. Once the disk was placed there, Giles took a long look at it. "That's interesting… that part" he pointed at the 'slice' with occidental characters, "is indeed in Latin, but a different kind to the one I learned…"

Willow frowned. "What do you mean, 'a different kind'? There's more than one Latin?"

"Yes and no. I would compare it to the use of English today. It's the same language in different places, but with slight differences of expressions, vocabulary and obviously accents. The Roman Empire once spread over half the known globe, there was bound to be different uses of their language after a generation or two. The type of Latin I learned is more… academic, it might take longer than I expected to translate. But if Drusilla managed, there is no reason why I shouldn't."

He missed the dirty look that Spike shot him at the mention of his Sire, which he deemed disrespectful. He got up suddenly and made for the stairs. Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Where're you going?"

"Well I'd just love to hover about and chat, but unlike my handsome dead self, _she_" he pointed at Gayle "has a working bladder, so if you'll excuse me!"

Buffy bit her lip and lowered her eyes, feeling silly. Spike continued, but stopped as he reached Gayle. He leaned in to her and whispered: "So, how the hell do I do this?"

Gayle sighed and whispered some hurried explanations in his ear. Spike nodded as he made his way up the stairs. Gayle called out as he got to the landing: "And no peeking!"

"Oh, please, I'm an adult… I'll do much worse!" He curved his tongue behind his teeth in his own particular manner and disappeared behind the corner.

Gayle turned to face the group: "Okay, when he does that tongue thing? On my face? That just freaks me out!"

All she got in reply were a few chuckles. Giles kept looking over the disk.

"_Liberi_, children… _Procella_, storm I believe… _Cruor_, blood…"

Everyone started paying attention as a collective chill ran through all of them…

"_Trucida_, The Slayer, no doubt… some kind of light… an alliance… something about destruction… That's it. So far it's pretty safe to say this is not a retelling of Julius Caesar's last tea party."

"Could it be about yet another apocalypse?" asked Buffy wearily.

"Well, the combination of _storm_, _blood_ and _destruction_ would indicate something along those lines, yes."

"Oh, big deal!" Xander deadpanned. "Just another one to add to the collection. This would be number, what? 501? 502? Maybe we should start selling limited edition mugs…"

Giles ignored him. "This is extremely intriguing… That other part is Ancient Greek, but just like the Latin part, it's not academic… and the other languages… from the few words I recognize here and there, all the parts seem to be telling the same story… Here, that's Coptic, the final stage of the Egyptian language. Here, Sumerian. But here, that's almost worrying: those two parts are Tenocht'ian and Ruhal, both demonic languages. I will need a little longer to decipher them, but I will. But that last part…"

He pointed at the last remaining division. The characters looked like a mix between stick figures and binary language: made exclusively of long lines and small circles.

"… That language, I have never seen before. In all my years, and that's saying something." He started grinning and got up to pace the room. "But if all the other parts are identical in content, then I will be able to decipher a language until now unknown to man! This is uncanny! This is like an occult Rosetta Stone! I can't believe my luck!"

Dawn looked up at him. "Calm down, Giles, it's a stone slab, not cold fusion…"

"Oh, bloody Americans! You just wouldn't recognize an historical breakthrough if came up to you and asked the way to the Strand, would you?"

"Strand of what?"

Giles threw his hands in the air and gave up. Buffy looked at Gayle. She hadn't moved from the wall near the foyer. She hadn't even looked at the slab once… she just stood there and looked at her shoes. Buffy got up and went to her while Giles kept ranting.

"You okay?"

Gayle gave her a hard look. "Sure. I'm just peachy, actually. Fine night for body-snatching. But you knew that."

"Gayle, I know you're angry…"

"Yes I am, but could we _not_ talk? I'm really afraid I could literally bite your head off if we did."

"What can I do to make you forgive me?"

Gayle was about to answer when Giles interrupted: "Buffy, you said that Drusilla found this in Iran, right?"

"Yeah, that's what she told us. Near the Casper Sea."

"Caspian. That's really strange…"

"Okay, Giles? We live on a Hellmouth, we fight demons and vampires, we live with witches and my kid sister is in fact a mystical key whose blood opens dimensions. You'll have to be a bit more precise with the 'strange' part."

"Well it's just that, although the Roman Empire was extremely widespread for the time, they never actually went as far as Iran… So how did an engraving in their language get there?"

Nobody had an answer for him, but to the youngsters present, that kind of unusual information was more like daily grind. Six years of Scoobie life apparently tends to make you blasé…

Buffy suddenly turned to Gayle: "Spike's been a while hasn't he?"

Gayle stiffened. "Oh my god! What's he doing to my body?"

Both slayers dashed up the stairs and ran to the bathroom…

… to find its door ajar. The girls exchanged glances before Buffy slowly opened it. Spike was there, standing in front of the mirror. He was absolutely still, staring at his reflection, almost hypnotized by it.

He was quite aware of the girls' presence, but could not tear his gaze away from the mirror.

"First time I see myself in a mirror in 120 years… and it's not even me."

Buffy slowly nodded. She tentatively reached out to stroke his shoulder, mimicking unknowingly the gesture he had made two years ago when he had found her crying on the back porch.

He looked at her when she made contact. Then back at the mirror. He swallowed hard and turned to Gayle. "I need to change. Now."

She nodded and gestured for them to follow her to her room. Before the switch, Gayle had been wearing tight gray jeans and a royal blue sweater with a low, beaded neckline. A world away from Spike's style. He needed something to get back some of his identity. First, she helped Spike tie 'her' hair in a ponytail. From her closet, she got out a black long-sleeved tee and black jeans. In the way of footwear, the closest thing she had to his engineer boots was a pair of flat-heeled knee-high black suede boots. She also took off the duster she hadn't realized she was still wearing until then and laid it down on the bed next to the clothes.

When Spike took off the sweater, Buffy thought about warning him not to look, but she saw that the idea was miles away from his mind. He didn't even look at Gayle bra before putting on the black tee. When he started to pull off the tight jeans, Gayle asked: "D'you want some clean underwear too?"

"Ta, but I don't wear 'em."

"You are NOT going commando in my clothes!"

"It's not my body!"

"Nevertheless!"

"_You_'re commando in _my_ clothes, what's the bleedin' difference?"

"I'm…? _WHAT?_ Oh, dear god!"

She headed for the dresser and rummaged through the drawers for something that would fit her new frame.

"Underpants, underpants, need underpants…"

"You are NOT putting your frillies anywhere near my privates, woman!"

"My body now! Undies!"

"You stay away, I warn you!"

"Oh, that's rich coming from you!"

"What the bloody hell do you mean!"

"That the other night I didn't exactly force that wicked tongue of yours down _my_ throat and…"

She stopped abruptly, horrified by the words that had escaped her. She covered her mouth with her hand in a futile attempt to take them back, but it was too late…

Spike felt a cold sweat run down his neck and back. He slowly turned to the other woman present…

Buffy stared at them, mouth agape, tears welling up. How could they?

Spike tried to explain: "Buffy, love, it's not what you think…" But she had already left. Spike grunted, pulled the jeans on fast and sprinted after her, Gayle in tow.

Buffy quickly made her way downstairs. _I knew it… I just knew… how could they not get together? They match perfectly, with the wit and smarts and the music… Not that I care… oh, who am I kidding!_

Once downstairs, she just made straight for the back door and into the garden. Once there, she just stopped in the middle of the lawn hugging herself. _Not gonna cry… it doesn't matter… Not gonna cry… I kinda deserve what's happening anyway… Played with fire and got burnt, as usual… Not like he would have stayed with me anyway… no-one ever does… not gonna cry…_

Spike arrived but stopped a few feet away from her, giving her space. "Buffy… sweetheart… it did not mean anything, I swear… it was a drunken mistake…"

"Why, thank you so much!" said Gayle, freshly arrived.

"Shut up! Look, we just had had an argument, you and I…"

"Yeah, I gathered I was rebound girl…" continued Gayle.

"You're. Not. Helping! Buffy please, listen to me…"

Buffy abruptly turned to face him. "What is there to listen to, Spike? You fell for the hot girl with a brain and rock attitude, good for you! She's more _the one_ for you anyway!"

"More the…? Buffy, what are you saying?"

"Nothing! Just be with her, I don't care! Maybe _she_'ll satisfy your lust for slayers!"

"My…? Fuck's sake… Fine! Let's talk about Chirpy, shall we? She and I like the same music, she doesn't mind being friends with a vamp, she enjoys any bout of violence, she's smart, she's beautiful, she can cook, drive, fight like nobody… nothing like you! Let's face it, Summers, she's perfect for me! And yet I still want you! You and no one else! What's bloody wrong with this soddin' picture? "

"And kissing her is the perfect way of showing that!"

"I told you it was a mistake…"

But Buffy just threw her head back and turned away from him again. Spike was completely lost…

Gayle looked at both of them then stepped up to Spike. "You have no idea how to do this, do you? Just go wait on the porch, I'll talk to her."

"Gayle, this is none of your bloody –"

"Spike" she said calmly. "Just… let me? Please?"

After a moment's hesitation, Spike nodded and complied. Gayle went up to Buffy, who was still turning her back on them. "Do you know what happened after he kissed me?"

"I don't think I want to know…"

"We started humping each other."

"Guess what? I was right!"

"And you know what happened after that?"

"What, you want to make me throw up by giving me the graphic details? Take a step back…"

"He called me 'Buffy'."

Buffy stiffened. She finally turned to face her sister Slayer.

Gayle, satisfied that she had her attention, continued. "Kind of a mood killer, yeah? That's why it didn't go any further. I took off. Worked my frustration on a few vamps who might still wonder what the heck happened to them from the other side. Nothing happened since."

Buffy kept her gaze on her face. "When did that happen?"

Gayle cleared her throat. "Last night. Before Drusilla found me."

Buffy snorted. "So much for not wanting a boyfriend…"

"I don't. We were both drunk, I was lonely…"

"You said you weren't interested in him!"

"So did you!"

Buffy took a deep breath. "Look, I don't what kind of… twisted relationship you two have, but I'll make sure to stay out of your way from now on…"

"Buffy, for fuck's sake! Spike and I are just friends! Maybe even drinking buddies or mutual punch bags, but nothing more! You wanna talk about twisted? _You're_ the one making _your_ relationship twisted! Why do you think he hangs out with me? Poor guy needs some support coming from somewhere, doesn't he?"

"Poor guy? Are you kidding me?"

"Do I look like it? Look, I'm a Slayer like you, spending time with me is the closest thing he has to spending time with you! Can't you see that?"

"That's right Gayle! You're a Slayer! And I know straight from the source that Spike just loves fucking Slayers!"

"… say what?"

"Right after our first time? He told me that was even better than killing one!"

Gayle took a second before answering. "Are you really that blonde?"

Buffy gasped. "Hey!"

"Had he ever fucked a Slayer before?"

"What? No, but…"

"Buffy, we're talking about a man–"

"Vampire!"

" – _a man_ that for one hundred and twenty years made himself know as a vicious killer and took pleasure in it! Why? Because that's what his kind does, and the greatest pleasure he had was in managing to best one of the strongest creatures around: slayers. Because it made him big, it made him great, powerful, above the rest! Other vampires would respect him or fear his name! He became a damn king among his brethren! And yet, a single night in your arms topped all that! Do you see what I'm getting at, or do I need to use smaller words?"

Buffy did not know what to say… she had never looked at things that way… She had always preferred to see the worst in Spike before anything else. Had she been really _that_ far off course?

'_You're the One, Buffy.'_

_I can't be the One… I can't but, God help me, I want to…_

"He's… he can't love, that's just impossible! You need a soul to love!"

"That's the biggest piece of bullshit I've ever heard!"

"Any Watcher will tell you so!"

"Well, I guess mine got run over before he got to that part, but it's still BS! You don't need a soul to love, you need a heart!"

"His is not beating!"

"And yet, he walks, talks, smokes, drinks, fucks, bleeds and makes crack jokes! What does the Watcher Handbook say about that?"

"Why are you doing this? Why are you constantly taking his defense? Why do you always take his side?"

"I swear, I am _this close_ to hitting you! I'm not doing this for him, I'm doing it for you! So you'll finally open your eyes and be happy! I'm on your side, Buff, no-one else's! Or at least I was, before you pulled all this shit on me!"

"And you think I could only be happy if you throw me in Spike's arms?"

"Oh, for…"

Suddenly Gayle went back to the porch. In a flash she had grabbed Spike by the neck and brought him up in a fierce kiss. Buffy's jaw dropped and Spike, prisoner of the kiss, looked like he had just stepped in Bizarro World.

When Gayle finally let go to look defiantly at Buffy, a little but very angry fist connected with her cheekbone and she fell ass first into the grass.

"Ouch… damn it…"

When she looked up, Buffy was standing in front of Spike in battle stance, with murder in her eyes. The vampire was just gawking…

Gayle smirked. "Looks like you've got your answer."

Buffy stared at her for a moment. Then she grabbed Spike's hand and let him inside the house…

… where the Scoobies were all gathered at the kitchen window. They all spread out when the couple entered and tried to look innocent. Obviously they had witnessed the whole exchange. _Great_, Buffy thought, _my life has officially become a soap opera…_

Buffy glared at them and led Spike to the living room.

"Sit down, Spike."

"What did that mean back there?"

"What? Her kissing you, or me taking her out?"

"Both!"

She smiled. "It means 'wait till you're back in your own skin'. Now sit."

Spike smiled back and sat down on the comfy chair. Buffy moved at the back and before Spike realized what she was up to, she had started massaging his shoulder blades.

Spike groaned in pleasure. He moved one hand to place it on Buffy's, making sure she was really touching him in a non-threatening manner. She caressed his hand, letting him know everything was alright, then continued kneading his shoulder tenderly. Neither of them had realized it yet, but it had taken a kiss and a fight with another woman to make it halfway to forgiveness…

"What the hell do you think you're doing to my body?"

The blonde couple jumped in surprise. Gayle had appeared in the living room. Buffy replied: "Trying a massage! When I was in there, I noticed you were a bit stiff in the shoulders, so I'm trying to help!"

"Yeah, now that you mention it… Chirpy, your whole upper back is kinda heavy, you sure you're alrigh'?" added Spike, suddenly aware of the ache.

"Well, I don't know, do I? Haven't exactly been keeping in my body lately long enough for me to notice or even remember, since everyone seems to enjoy getting in it, have a good time and then pass it along – that so did not come out right… But anyway, newsflash: Slayer here! I do tend to get injured!"

"Oh, stop trying to sound tough, I know you're really a girly-girl!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, come on! I've heard your ringtone!"

"My ringtone's _Highway To Hell_, what's wrong with that?"

"Nice try but no cigar! I heard it with my own ears, Miss 'Heaven on Earth'!"

Gayle's face blanched. Which was quite a feat considering the kind of body she was in at the moment. "Erm, Buff, I really don't know what you're talking about…"

Buffy abandoned Spike's back, who protested with a groan, to get her own cell phone. She dialed Gayle's number and waited.

_Ooh Baby, do you know what that's worth…_

Gayle followed the sound that was coming out of her jacket and extracted her phone. "That's not mine…"

"It's not your phone?"

"No, it is my phone, but it's not my 'tone…"

"Gayle, it's okay, you don't have to pretend…"

"I'm not pretending anything! That. Is. Not. My –"

She was interrupted by a snort. She spun around to see Dawn covering her mouth and trying very hard not to laugh.

Gayle pointed an accusatory finger. "_You_ did this!"

"Yeah, sorry… saw that special offer in the TV guide? And your cell was nearby so… I really couldn't resist!"

"And you thought it was okay? To mess about with my personal belongings?"

Dawn suddenly was very confused. Gayle had never spoken to her like that…

"Geez, Gayle, chill out, it was only a joke…"

"Only a joke she says! What is it with you Summers women? Have you like, decided to mess up my brain?"

"Gayle, please! Calm down!" Buffy tried to intervene. Clearly her friend was about to snap…

"I'm always damn calm! You know why? Because I actually like you people! I treated you all right! I didn't do anything wrong by you, and what do I get? Rejection and betrayal! Well, no more! Not gonna make any more efforts! Brotherly Love can kiss my ass! No more Miss Nice Slayer! Chirpy Gayle has left the building! And her own skin! I'm in the Big Bad's now, I'm gonna be bad! I'm going on patrol!"

With that, she stormed out of the house, not forgetting to slam the door behind her. The remaining Scoobies were left dumbstruck.

"I don't think she quite grasped the 'being bad' concept yet…" ventured Xander.

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Gayle was sitting on a tombstone, stake in hand, waiting for action to come to her.

"Here, vampy vampy… Here, you dirty bloodsuckers…"

Her taunting was only met with silence…

"Oh, come on! I'm dying he–"

She was suddenly knocked over. When she managed to get her bearing, she found herself flattened against a nearby crypt wall with an angry dark-haired man blocking her hands by the wrists on each side of her. A very _handsome_ angry dark-haired man…

"Oooh… ask and you shall receive indeed… Hello there, dark stranger!"

"What are you doing here?" he growled.

_Whoa, that's a lot o' hair gel… Must be to try and diminish that cute forehead… still, he makes it work…_ "Uhm, well, I like moonlit walks in dark scary places. I also like romantic comedies and musicals. You?"

"This isn't funny!"

"Well, I never said it was, but then if you think about it, it kinda is…"

The stranger raised an eyebrow. "What happened to your accent?"

"My acc–? Oh, you're looking for Spike? Oh, now I get it! Spike is not in right now… maybe I can replace him?"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Well, there has been a rather unfortunate swapping of bodies that started with… Ok, short version? Magic gone awry. This _is_ the Hellmouth…"

"If this is a twisted joke…"

"Yeah, 'cos this is typically the kind of thing Spike would joke about… Believe me, I wish it was…"

The stranger backed up quickly, releasing Gayle. "Who are you?"

"Convinced I'm not him, then?"

"Not his style, answer the question."

"Oooh, bossy! My name is Gayle, I'm from Philadelphia…"

"Wait… you're a girl?"

"Usually, yeah. Not right now."

The stranger's eyes went wide. "So that means that Spike is in a…"

He couldn't finish his sentence, as he suddenly bursted into an incontrollable fit of laughter.

Gayle glared at him. "Well I'm glad I can amuse you! And here was I, thinking how cute you were? Well the cuteness factor is kinda dwindling at the moment!"

"The cuteness fac – har har…" The guy was now actually rolling on the ground, clutching his sides! That was just _so _insulting! "I'm sorry! It's just – har – hearing that from _that _mouth – har – it's just hilarious!"

"I am so sick of everyone thinking this is just some big joke! It. Is. Not. Funny!"

"Yeah it is! So where is Peroxide Boy now?"

"Probably still at Buffy's. I'm stuck in there and all everyone can think is 'ha-ha-Spike's-a-girl'! What about m –"

Gayle had only turned her head for a second in her rant, but when she looked towards the stranger he was gone.

"Okay, one: that was just downright rude! And two: people around here have GOT to stop doing that!"

She then stormed out of the cemetery, determined to find some action elsewhere… unaware of the eyes that had been following her since she had arrived.

Behind a crypt, two male figures watched the blonde vampire leave.

"Is that him?" asked the first one, slightly smaller than his companion.

"That's the one that was with them last night, yes. Is he a problem?"

"Of course he is! They got the stone, didn't they?"

"I'm sorry, Sir, I tried to get there in time…"

"But you didn't! Now it's too late! The exact people that shouldn't have the stone now have it! That could be very, very bad for us! Which means it will be worse for you!"

The taller one sighed. "Then I guess I'll just have to kill them all, won't I?"

"I guess you will."

The taller man grinned wolfishly, adjusted his priest's collar and left.

_End of Chapter Ten._

"_**Highway to Hell" by AC/DC. Sedochian Pine root is purely my invention, I needed an ingredient obviously difficult to find, and pine is often used in exorcism rituals. Impressive, right? Tenocht'ian and Ruhal demon kinds are also fruits of my imagination, don't nobody sue…**_

_**You know what to do… Don't make me beg again…**_


	11. Chapter 11 To Be A Lover

_**Hi all, I know it's been a while, but I have a very good excuse… No, really! I sometimes work on my story during lunch break at work on those ancient computers they're giving us and the other day, bam! Power cut in the whole building. And yes, you guessed it: my whole chapter was gone too! Ten pages… disapeared. Stupid machine didn't even do an automatic save… Had to start the whole damn thing again. So I made it extra-long to make up for the wait. This is officially the longest thing I've ever written. Hope you like…**_

**Chapter Eleven – To Be A Lover**

"_**Have I told you lately that I love you**_

_**If I din't, darlin', you see I'm so sorry**_

_**Didn't I reach out and hold you in these lovin' arms**_

_**Well, if I din't, oh baby, well I'm so sorry**_

_**[…] Got to be a lover, babe, forgot to be a lover**_

_**Well did I ask you would you come and share**_

_**Oh, the burden and the task that's at love's command**_

_**Didn't I say all those lovin' special things**_

_**That you long to hear to show you how much I care"**_

_**Billy Idol, To Be A Lover**_

"No!"

"Please!"

"No way in hell!"

"Willy said he likes brunettes! You're the only female one we've got!"

"Ha, but I'm not a real one, am I? Only borrowing the hide!"

"You wanted to find out more about Caleb, right? Remember, evil priest who killed your Sire?"

"Well yeah, but even I have my limits!"

"Please, Spike? For me?"

Spike scowled at the petite girl, then grunted and let out a deep sigh. "Low blow, Slayer, low blow…" He then went into the club.

_Transgender vampire walks into a strip joint about a priest… That ought to be a good one…_

He scanned the area and found his 'victim' sitting at the bar. He went to stand up next to him. The man known as Rico was really ugly: face scarred by childhood chicken pox, reddish beard and fuzzy hair, tiny rat eyes… He gave him a glance and went back to his drink.

The customers at Willy's, while unable to provide any information about Caleb, had been able to tell him who might have more. While Willy was a human who kept his ears open to the underworld's news, Rico was the guy you went to if you were a baddie in need of a hideout. Caleb had to be staying somewhere, didn't he? Even evil priests need to sleep sometimes…

And so, since they were tired of waiting around, Buffy, Willow and Spike had gone villain-fishing…

Spike had no idea how to do this from a female angle, but he knew what he liked and hoped any other bloke would. So he leaned back against the bar, opening his duster and pushing his upper torso forward…

To anyone who wasn't aware of the situation, it just looked as if Gayle had dressed up as Spike: dressed in tight black clothing and his trademark duster, which hung off her shoulders awkwardly as she was leaner there. And right now, it also looked as if she was trying to pick up some stranger in a bar… and said stranger now was paying attention…

"Hi…" Spike ventured. "Looking for some company?" _Urgh, kill me, kill me now…_

"Could be… Australian, are you?"

_What? Aussie, me? Why you ginger fart, I'll – _"Righ', whatever… D'you wanna get outta here?"

"Let's go." Rico then got up and started walking towards the exit.

_Huh… that was easy…Either that or I'm really good… _ Spike followed him out, strangely feeling a bout of ego-boost.

Once outside, Rico leered at 'her' from head to toe. "So, how much do you charge?"

Spike's lips opened to let an outraged _'Wot?'_, but Buffy interrupted: "She's waaaaay too expensive, buddy! Not to mention off-limits!"

Before Rico could ask anything, the Slayer's hand was around his throat and he was pinned against a wall.

"But," she continued, "since you want to put a price on everything, how about we appraise your life?"

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Name 'vampire Slayer' ring any bells?"

"Oh, shit…"

"Got that right, Rico! Now… I need to know about a priest."

Willow came next to Spike. "You okay?"

"Never felt dirtier in my whole unlife, and that's sayin' somenthin'…"

"Don't know what you're talking about…" grunted Rico, who was starting to feel some pain out of Buffy's treatment.

"Really?" she asked, smirking. "Then you're off your game, aren't you? From what I hear, whenever a supernatural menace arrives on the Hellmouth, you're one of the first to know about it! Why? Because said menace always needs a place to stay and a good address book, and you're the one to provide both! You're, like, the official realtor for Sunnydale's demonic scene!"

"Demons say a lot of things…"

"Yeah, so do I! And right now, I say you're gonna tell me everything you know about Caleb!"

"Who?"

Buffy squeezed harder.

"AArgh! Alright, alright! I'll tell you, just let me breathe, I'm still human, you know!"

The Slayer glared at him.

"I am! Really, check if you don't believe me: heartbeat and everything!"

She released her hold. Rico gulped a few breaths in. "Okay, said something about a priest? Met one about a few days back, but he didn't say his name…"

"And you didn't ask? Not even why he was here?"

"Not my business. Weird stranger comes to me and asks for digs, I do what I'm told and keep my mouth shut."

"And get paid handsomely, right?"

"Well, yeah… a dude's gotta eat…"

"So where are Caleb's 'digs'? And don't start with the whole 'I'm-a-dead-man-if-I-tell-you' BS, or I'll…"

"I found him a little estate just outside of town."

"… okay, that was easier than expected. Can you give us the address?"

"I could, but you won't find him there. He didn't like the place. So I found him a mansion closer to town, didn't like it either! I got all my best properties out for the guy, but none of them was good enough!"

"What did he want? Graceland?"

"No idea. Kept saying the places weren't 'suitable'. Like it wasn't just for him or something."

"And now?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. Eventually, I didn't have anything left, so he just disappeared. And if you don't mind, could I do that too? Like, right now?"

Buffy looked at the weasel-like man. "If you lied to us…"

"I know, I know: I'll die slowly and painfully. Right?"

"… Right. Now get out of my sight."

Rico started to do just that, but then went back to stand next to Spike. "So… any chance you and I…"

"PISS OFF!" the vampire snarled, and Rico disappeared into the night.

Willow spoke first. "Well that wasn't much help!"

"Kinda was…" said Buffy softly. "We now know that Caleb is not alone."

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

"Thanks, Sally! You have no idea how much this helps!"

"That's alright, Anya, but we're even now, right?"

"Mmm? Oh, sure! Send my love to Anton for me, will you?"

"Sure will! See ya!"

Anya waved the Dryad goodbye and closed the door of the Summer's home. Xander was right next to her in a second. "What did she mean by 'we're even now'?"

"Oh, that! I kind of help her get rid of a clingy woodsman back in the 1700s. Not exactly a vengeance thing, I did it off the clock… You really don't want to know the details, honey."

She then left to bring the missing element to the witches. As he turned to join her, he found himself facing Buffy, who was smirking knowingly at him. "'Honey'?"

"Well, yeah… we… I mean she… us… you know…"

"Mmm-hmm."

"We're taking things slow."

"Of course."

"No need to rush."

"None."

"Shall we?"

"Let's."

They linked arms and joined the rest of the gang in the dining room. Willow and Tara were assembling everything on the dining table, with an occasional little grunt from Willow (_So much for Tara getting some rest…_). Everything was now ready for the spell, the only thing missing being one of the protagonists.

Giles was still in the lounge with the stone slab, taking notes on a writing pad for his later translation. Spike was outside on the front porch, smoking at last, and keeping an eye out for Gayle, who had been out for a while now...

_Hope the stupid bint gets back here before sunrise… Don't fancy myself getting stuck in this body forever…_

Tara peeked out. "Anything?"

"Nah, pet, still nothing."

"Do you wanna come back in? It's getting chilly out there and I've got a nice cup of cocoa with your name on it…"

Spike sauntered through the threshold after the witch. "Red's a lucky girl to have you, you know that right?"

Willow heard and raised loving eyes to meet Tara's. "The luckiest."

She wrapped an arm around her girlfriend's shoulders and led her to the kitchen.

Spike, for all his supernaturalness, was still a man, and couldn't help thinking about the two witches together. They should were a nice couple… Red was a bit of alright, and Glinda… Well let's just say, any other time, he would not have refused if they asked him to join in…

He watched them joining Buffy and Anya at the kitchen counter, and grunted in frustration. For the first time since the swap, he was kinda glad to be a woman, for right now he could be very embarrassed…

_Three blondes and a redhead… slow night at the Playboy Mansion…_

Slowly, Spike started pulling at the collar of his t-shirt and peering inside…

Buffy noticed first and cried out: "Spike!"

The shirt snapped back into place. "Wot? I wasn't looking!"

A few glances in his direction told him nobody was buying _that_…

"Well, what do you expect? I'm a bloke! Well, alright, not right now, but I'm evil still!"

"Well, I still don't think Gayle would appreciate you ogling her boobs like that…"

"Would you rather I ogled yours?"

"You're a pig, Spike."

"Don't you know it… and you're hardly the one to judge what she would or wouldn't like!"

"I think I have a better idea than you!"

"You didn't even know she smoked!"

Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't. Spike was right. She looked at the other girls present: they looked just as embarrassed as she was…

Spike saw that and kept going, gesturing at the whole group: "And you lot aren't better! You all call Chirpy your friend? What do you really know about the chit?"

"Well… she's an heiress, she worked as a nurse in Philadelphia…"

"I mean the real stuff! The stuff that matters! For example, did you know she has two brothers she never sees and a third one who's dead? That her own Dad rejected her and kicked her out? That she was close to engaged when she became a Slayer and the bastard dumped her there and then because of that?"

_I once loved someone… so much… _Buffy inhaled sharply remembering Gayle's words from earlier.

"... Well?"

The wide-eyed look on everyone's face confirmed his theory. He smirked evilly.

"Just as I thought. You're such a bunch of hypocrites… S'pecially you, Summers!"

Buffy was startled. "Me? What have I…"

"The chit is your sister slayer, you should be closer to her than anyone else! The girl moves in, gets you out of the financial pit you were in, even saves your life, and all this time you didn't even ask her one bloody question? What, did you think it was normal for a loaded bint to work a badly paid job? That she could just move to the other side of the soddin' country so easily? Did you never find it even a little bit strange that she never received any mail or even one single phone call?"

Buffy, Dawn and Willow exchanged embarrassed glances. They were the ones who spent the most time with Gayle, and no, they had never thought of asking…

"Thought so", continued Spike. "Sod this, I need another fag…"

And just as he left through the back door, the front one opened to let Gayle in.

Buffy jumped to the occasion. "Hey Mama! How's it going?"

Gayle raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

Buffy took a few steps towards her, smiling. "Because we love you and we care about you!"

"Really? Is that why you stole my body?"

The blonde slayer cleared her throat. "Erm… so… how was patrol?"

"Well I thought for a moment that I had met a hot guy, but hey, maybe the whole 'I'm-me-but-not-me' scared him off, is that unusual?" she said with venom in her tone.

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Buffy walked out of the back door to look for Spike and found him sitting on the steps.

"Spike? We're about ready to start, what are you doing out here?" she asked, sitting down beside him.

"Mmm? Nothin'. Just thinkin', pet."

"That must hurt. What about?"

He scowled. "'Bout Angel."

She stared at him. "Ooookay… I've just stepped into Weird Ville, population you. Why are you thinking about Angel? You do remember you hate him, right?"

He chuckled at that. "Yeah, yeah, Peaches' an arse, that's for sure. I was more thinking about something he said. About you needing someone… who could take you into the sunlight. Someone normal."

"Okay, if you're about to turn into Angel, I swear I'm going to hurl."

Spike scoffed. "Not bloody likely! I'm done with the whole out-of-body experience. It's just… In a way I kinda think he's right, and by the way I'll deny I said this till I'm dust, alright?"

"Duly noted!" she said with a slight chuckle.

"You do deserve a normal life: a family, the whole white picket-fences deal… You deserve better than me."

"Spike…"

"And yet, I just can't let you go. Yes, it might be because I'm evil. But I do believe that you deserve more than normality. Normal life just will never be good enough for you. You deserve a bloody throne, Slayer, and I'll fight forever by your side until you get it. Maybe even after that. The question is… would you let me?"

Buffy tried to find the words to answer him. There was a lump in her throat that just wouldn't budge, so she tried to convey her response through her eyes.

Spike understood her silence. Maybe he was asking too much. But that was alright: at least she would allow him by her side and not use him anymore. He wrapped his arms around her neck and reached down for a kiss…

"Erm, could we not?" Buffy interrupted. "I mean, you're still in Gayle's body, and kissing would just be too weird…"

Spike zoned out for a second. Buffy swatted his head lightly.

"Spike!"

"Wha'?"

"Stop picturing it!"

"I wasn't!" The look on her face told he shouldn't bother, so he just shrugged. As they got up and made their way back into the house, he ventured: "So any chance of you and Chirpy…"

"No!"

"Right. Sorry, pet, can't blame an evil bloke for tryin'…"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

"_Wandering spirit who lost its face_

_Now can take back your rightful place_

_Follow the trail to your own body_

_As is my will, so mote it be!"_

A flash of green light passed between vampire and slayer as the herbs burned and Willow finished her incantation. Then the brunette opened her eyes, looked down at her own body… then turned her back on the group and went upstairs.

Willow, puzzled, turned to Spike's body: "Spike?"

"Yeah, Red, I'm in there."

She sighed in relief and turned to Tara: "Did I get it right?"

"Yes, Spike's aura is back to a clear red, and Gayle's is gold with patches of silver and lavender again, same as Buffy's. You did everything right, babe."

Buffy touched Spike's shoulder. "You okay? You look kinda away…"

"I was just thinking I need to get back to the crypt, pet. Sun's gonna be up soon…"

"Oh…"

She was about to offer him to stay, but she was interrupted by the noise of loud footsteps coming down the stairs. Gayle appeared with a large and heavy-looking designer carry-on. She grabbed her jacket from the coat rack and turned to Spike: "Spike, can you drop me off at the hotel, please?"

Everyone apart from the vampire gasped at her request. Spike did not look surprised.

Buffy stepped in front of her sister slayer: "Gayle, you can't leave!"

"Try and stop me."

"But why? I thought that…"

"I'm still mad at you, Buffy! The only reason I patched things up between you and Spike was because I didn't want you both to have yet another argument on yet another misunderstanding. But like I told you: it's getting _real_ old!"

"Look, I know how you feel: I know what it's like to feel betrayed by the one person you thought never would…"

"You dare to compare…? Spike _tried _to rape you, Buffy. _You_ went all the way."

Buffy inhaled sharply, shocked to her core. "How… oh my god, how can you say that?"

"Well, let's see: you took my body to do as you please, to use as you please, got some relief out of it without ever, even for a second, ask me for my opinion or my permission. What does that sound like to you?"

With that, she opened the door and left, not even bothering to close it behind her. Spike sent Buffy a sad look, then went to open the door of the DeSotto for Gayle who got into the car without looking back. The vampire closed the door, went to the other side of the car and positioned himself behind the wheel. The motor purred to life and the couple drove off.

Buffy watched her sister slayer disappear into the night with her vampire through teary eyes…

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Spike was getting ready to leave the following dusk, when Buffy came running through the crypt door. She was wearing suede pants and a close-fitting cream blouse. Clearly, she had come straight from work. Her face was flushed and her voice was shrill.

"Spike, Gayle hasn't come back home yet; she hasn't even called!"

Spike understood her worry, but he also understood that Gayle needed some space right now. "And you're here because…?"

"I thought maybe you had an idea of where she could be?"

"Not in my bed, if that's what you're really wondering."

Buffy sighed. "Spike, please. I did not come here looking for a fight. I'm really worried about her!"

Spike shrugged, obviously understanding why Gayle needed the distance.

Buffy continued: "And I was worried about you too."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why is that, d'you reckon?"

"I apologized about getting you in Gayle's body – you know, even now it sounds so damn wrong – but I never said how sorry I was for deceiving you. You know, when I was… when we danced."

His jaw clenched at the memory. "_We_ did nothing of the sort, Buffy. _I_ danced with _Gayle_."

"… I guess I deserved that. Anyway, here it is: I'm sorry."

Spike looked at her. She seemed sincere. "Dropped Chirpy off last night at a B&B in town. Haven't heard from her since, but she was in one piece last I saw."

She breathed out her relief. "I take it she's still mad at me?"

"Oh yeah. Kept her jaws locked the whole drive there, barely even said goodbye. Tried to get her to talk to me, but she just clammed up."

"You obviously know her better than any of us, and I know I'm to blame for that too, but… d'you think she's coming back? Ever?"

"I'd like to be able to answer that, love, I really would. But the way she looked… I jus' dunno."

Buffy clasped her hands to her hair. She'd really screwed up big time. She had thrown a great friendship out the window because she just couldn't deal with her issues. It was really close to what happened last year… with the man she was facing right now. "Spike… what do you know of Gayle's history?"

"Pretty much everything I told you last night, pet."

"If her Dad kicked her out, where does her money come from?"

"From what I gather, from the biz she had with her bruv."

"The one who's dead?"

Spike took a deep unneeded breath. "Look, why don't I start at the beginning? A few weeks ago, she and I were at a bar, getting pleasantly pissed, and she asked how I got into punk music…"

"_It's all about: screw the establishment, and let's have some bloody fun around here!"_

_Gayle put her glass down and said tipsily, though merrily: "Oh Gosh, I have a brother who would so totally agree with you! S'like exactly what he says!"_

_Spike raised a brow. "Din't know you had kin, pet!"_

_She suddenly looked a little sullen, but kept smiling. "Yeah well, we all come from somewhere… don't we?"_

"_Yeah, we do… So how many do brothers do you have?"_

"_Oh, too many for my taste!" she laughed, then took another sip of her drink. "Haven't seen any of them in a while, though. We kinda had a fallout…"_

"_Sorry to hear that…"_

"_S'alright. T'was a long time ago. M'okay on my own."_

"_Why the fallout, if you don't mind me asking?_

"_Mmm? Oh… well… I'd been a loner for a while, I guess, but… My older brother runs this business of his like an emperor, really, didn't want to wait for our dad to give him the reigns of his own biz… He's doing good, though, real good… For a while, my younger brother and I helped him, and so dear old Daddy kicked us out… Didn't like his kids getting their own way… but… I guess the shit really hit the fan when I… it's a long boring story really…"_

"_Not going anywhere, luv."_

_Gayle lost herself in the contemplation of her drink. "I had another brother… Half-brother, this one… Jayce… Real sweet kid… I tried to break him out of prison."_

_Spike had been expecting a lot of things, but certainly not that._

"She wouldn't say much more after that. Can't say I blame her…"

Buffy could only stare, mouth agape. Gayle, little miss 'I-customize-my-own-stakes', mastermind of a prison break?

"Why was her brother in prison?"

"She didn't say, and I didn't want to press the issue… But from what I gathered about what she said later, she failed, and he died in there not long after. Wouldn't say how."

Buffy covered her mouth with her hand. Gayle had lost a brother… She had tried to save him, and he died… God, how horrible is must have been for her…

"Why did she open to you like that? Why not with _us_?"

Spike sighed. "For the same reason she kissed me. For the same reason I kissed her back. Because we're both lonely, Slayer. Girl's far from everything she knows, has lost some very important people in her life, she's probably still in love with someone who won't have her, that bloody fool… She's trying so hard to find a new place to call home, she just wants to wipe the slate blank and start anew. And she chose your lot as her new home, because now all she's got left is her Calling. And me? I'm just the one who understands."

She nodded. Gayle's situation, as exposed by Spike, reminded her of her own when she first got to Sunnydale. Except that she had something to cling on to: her Mom and, though she knew her memories we false, her sister. Gayle had only her money to remind her of where she came from…

Why hadn't she asked more questions? Simple: she had taken Gayle for granted, all too happy to have a new mom and slaying partner rolled into one. Same she had done with Spike: just expected him to stick around and be close to her without her ever return the favor…

There it was again: making parallels between Spike and Gayle. She had been doing an awful lot of that lately. What was it with Gayle that reminded her so much of Spike and vice-versa? The history? But she hadn't known any of it until earlier today…

Spike interrupted her thoughts. "I'm sorry if I've upset you pet, but like I said: the chit and I? Never happened, never will. Proved it the other night, when you flung yourself at me using her hide…"

"What if you had known?"

"Whaddya mean?"

"If you had known it was me? In her body? Would you have… you know…"

"Shagged you through Chirpy's bits? No, Slayer. She's one of the rare people I truly consider a friend, and I couldn't have done that to her… S'not fair."

Buffy pondered that for a second. _And he's the soulless one?_ "She was right about one thing: the body swap? It was kinda like a rape…"

"Oh, Buffy, she didn't mean that, she was just angry…"

"Maybe, and rightfully so, but she was right nonetheless! That's how bad I got! How bad the frustration and the obsession got! Remind you of anything?"

Spike's lips tightened. "If you knew it was so bloody wrong, then why d'you do it?"

"I had to know!"

"Had to know what, for blood's sake?"

"If you still loved me!"

Spike couldn't hold back a gasp. "Why… how… Buffy, I don't understand…"

"After all that happened last year… what I did to you and what you did to me… You getting your chip out so you could be bad again, but then you just still hang around and help… It's like, this huge _trench_ has been dug between us, you know? I couldn't figure you out anymore!"

"Oh, pet…"

"No, let me finish! We are finishing this now! I didn't plan this whole thing, okay? I didn't lie awake in my bed thinking what weird plan I could come up with to try and mess with you, alright? I just… So much has happened! Since… since I broke up with you, I've been feeling… so hollow, like part of me was missing, but I brushed it off thinking I would just miss the amazing sex and get over it eventually… But then… what happened in my bathroom…"

Spike's face changed into a mask of pain. He suddenly remembered that night… the look of horror on her face beneath him… the _screams_… He squeezed his eyes shut.

Buffy saw his pain, and quickly continued. "It hurt… it hurt so much that you would do this to me… But it hurt even more when I realized I drove you to do it!"

His jaw dropped. "No! No, luv, don't pin this on yourself you have nothing to feel guilty about! _I_ did it, _I_ am responsible, it was _my_ own damn fault!"

"I never said it wasn't. Just that we were both at fault. There is nothing I can do to apologize enough. Nor can you. But… the other night… when I was in Gayle's body… I realized that… we just can't be friends, can we? We can never be less than… than… In a way I think I always knew, but I had to make sure… especially after what happened to Drusilla… You told her you loved her…"

"She was dying, Buffy! And she was my Sire, the woman I loved and shared my life with for over a hundred fucking years! The least I could do was soften her way to the other side! Jesus bloody Christ, even _you_ would have told _me_ you loved me if I was dying!"

"Why should I wait until you're dying?"

Spike thought he misheard her. Could she mean…? No… no, she couldn't… could she?

He slowly turned around to face her. He could see the tears on the brim of her eyes…

She made a step towards him. She was struggling to get the words out… Before coming over, she had no idea she would say them this way. But she had to, now. She _had_ to. Or she was going to explode. Messing up this big had been for a reason and she would face it. So she breathed out:

"I love you, William!"

His unbeating heart jumped in his chest. He shut his eyes tightly. A dream. It had to be a dream. This just couldn't be real…

But the little hand that was now touching shoulder was real. The breath that came inches from his face was warm. She was leaning towards him, closer and closer to his lips…

He opened his eyes, and she was still there, a mere inch from his face, her eyes expectant and scared. She reached out and cupped his cheek…

Unable to take anymore, Spike crushed his lips to hers.

Buffy quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and held tight as his tongue found its way into her mouth. She tried to kiss him back with as much fervor, but soon found herself struggling to breathe. He felt it and let go of her mouth to trace a path of wet kisses down her neck.

"Please… tell me I'm not dreaming…" he whispered between kisses.

"You're not, I promise! I'm here, and I love you…"

"Can't believe I'm hearing this! Say it again!"

"I love you."

"Again!"

She chuckled lightly "I love you, Spike. I just gave up on fighting it… Gave up last night, but there was never a good moment to…"

"I love you too, Buffy, so bloody much…Oh baby…"

He claimed her mouth once more and pulled her body tightly against his. Buffy felt herself responding automatically to his assault as a familiar moisture hit her panties and she molded her frame to his. "Spike…" she managed to breathe out, "… want you… now…"

"As my lady commands" he said in a low growling voice before picking her up in his arms.

Next thing she knew, they were on the lower level of the crypt and, thanks to vampire speed combined with her, erm, lack of attention, she had no idea how they got there. Spike chuckled lightly at her amazement before carefully laying her down on top of his bed, where she quickly kicked off her shoes, beaming at him.

He kissed her again in one of those bone-melting kisses known only to him and her while, with one hand, he proceeded to open her pants. He left her mouth for a short moment to remove the offending garment that dared hide her shapely legs and threw it to the floor. In almost the same movement, he took off his t-shirt and kneeled down beside her on the bed. His erection was pushing painfully against its denim prison.

Buffy took in the sight of this beautiful man at her side… his sculpted body, his handsome face, and the look in his eyes. The blue had almost disappeared, replaced by a lustful black. She was sure she had never seen anything as beautiful as Spike when he was looking at her.

He ran a hand reverently over her still-clothed breasts and belly, worshipping her with his eyes as he did so. He then placed a soft kiss just above her knee. She let out a sigh as he slowly kissed his way up her thigh and arched her back.

As he reached her soft cotton panties, he inhaled deeply, letting his throat and chest fill with her intoxicating scent. He nuzzled her entrance through the fabric, and, with a devilish gleam in his eyes, even gave her clit that was peeking through the cloth a little nibble. She jumped in surprise and squealed.

Hooking his thumbs on the elastic, he pulled down her panties down her legs, and they quickly joined the pants on the floor. Buffy sat up and nearly ripped her blouse off. When Spike saw her lovely tits nestled in the white Lycra bra, he let out a groan before fastening his lips on one, suckling through the fabric and tenderly squeezing the other. She arched her back to push her breasts into his mouth, and, with a moan, tilted her head back.

He knew he should take more time with foreplay, but it would have to wait. Right now, he wanted too much to be inside her again. To be a part of her again. Even more so than before, for today she loved him back.

He reached behind her back and unhooked her bra. As her nipples were bared, he suckled again on one of them, but Buffy wrung her fingers through his hair and pulled his head back. He looked at her worryingly for a second, but when she pulled him up in a passionate kiss, he stopped worrying right away.

Not breaking the kiss, she straddled his legs and attacked his belt. The only moment they uncoupled was when he got up in a flash of vampire speed to remove his jeans. He then kneeled back on the bed and she positioned herself just above his throbbing cock, placing the tip just at her drenched entrance. She paused for a second to gaze into the ocean of his eyes.

There, behind the lust, was an adoration for her that ran so deep, it made her tremble.

Spike mistook her reaction for fear, and started moving away. Buffy whimpered at the loss.

"Love, we don't have to do this…"

"What? Why? Don't you want me anymore?" Buffy asked in a panic.

"Bloody hell, woman! I want you more than anything in the world! But I love you even more than that, and I don't want you to feel obligated to do anything you're not ready to…"

"Huh? Huzzat?"

Spike caressed her face softly. "Buffy… after what happened…"

She suddenly understood what had stopped him. _Evil soulless vampire feeling guilty over hurting the Slayer… Gosh, I've been such a total bitch…_

"Spike, please don't think about that part of our lives anymore, it's over and done with… Could we just turn over a new leaf? Pretend this is our first time?"

"We can't just pretend nothing ever happened, Buffy! That's not healthy!"

"Then help me get past it! Love me, Spike, erase all the bad from us! Please!"

That was the last straw. Forgetting all control, Spike latched on her mouth, letting his tongue dance with hers a fiery tango. Buffy kissed him back with all the passion she could feel still swelling in her heart. With no further hesitation she sank on his cock, taking him in to the hilt. She cried out at the delicious invasion that felt just like coming home.

Spike thought he would dust, her pussy was so hot. If there was chance for him to ever know Heaven, it would be exactly like this. It felt so good to be back inside of her! Her center was so tight and hot and silken, he did not dare move, he was so afraid the illusion would vanish if he did…

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, trying to get him closer than even possible. She reveled in the feel of his soft cool skin against hers, and for a moment she stayed perfectly still. She felt so full and safe.

Slowly, Spike started thrusting. Buffy let him set the pace, all too happy to feel him moving inside her. She already felt him rubbing her G-spot. _Why did I break things off again? _

Soon, though, she started to meet him thrust for thrust. She panted and mewled. At her reaction, Spike laid her down on the coverlet, covering her body with his and changing slightly the angle of his hips so that his cock hit her clitoris every time he entered her. At this point she was so wet he glided in and out with ease. In the heat that she was communicating to his body, he could almost feel his heart beating and his blood flowing again…

Their mouths fused again, tongues sucking and twisting around each other, reveling in the other's taste. Spike started thrusting faster and harder as he moved his lips down her jaw and throat. He could smell the blood right underneath the soft skin there, pumping away. His mouth began to water, his demon screaming for the precious liquid, but he refused to bite her. He had just got her back, he wasn't about to bollix it up by abusing her trust again…

If Buffy was aware of his inner turmoil, she showed no sign of it. She was lost in passion, no longer feeling the boundaries of her own body as she started her ascension towards what could only be an earth-shattering climax…

Spike felt that she was close and propped himself up on his fists, gyrating his hips as he yet again changed the angle and started pounding into her…

Buffy started to wail her pleasure as she rose and rose towards her orgasm, and finally, it hit her like a tidal wave. Her scream of relief sounded like it came from a whole choir as it bounce against the stone walls…

Her internal muscles suddenly clamped around Spike's shaft like a white-hot vise. Unable to resist any longer, her joined her in ecstasy with a roar.

When she felt him erupted inside of her through the fog of her own orgasm, she managed somehow to relax her vaginal muscles and then squeezed him again, wanting to draw out both their orgasms as much as possible.

When they were finally both spent, he fell on top of her. Both the lovers were breathing heavily. Buffy felt so happy and complete she thought she could cry. She caught Spike's head in her tiny hands and made him look at her.

"You know… this was kinda our first time, after all…" she said softly, beaming at him.

Spike frowned for a second before he understood what she meant, then broke into a warm smile. "That it was, my love… that it was."

As the last vestiges of their bliss washed over them, they melted into a kiss that could last until morning for all they cared…

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

At the exact same time, across town, Gayle was leaning against a wall in an alley, catching her breath. When she felt better, she started laughing. She laughed and laughed, then abruptly stopped.

"Well, it's about fuckin' time, you two. Hope this works, darlings, I really do…"

She stood back up, smoothed her clothes down, and lit up a cigarette. She then proceeded to leave the alley, leaving the foul stench of a decomposing body behind her as she started to sing softly into the darkness:

"_Because the night belongs to lovers_

_Because the night belongs to us_

_Because tonight there are two lovers_

_If we believe in the night we trust…"_

_End of Chapter Eleven._

_**Soundtrack: "Because The Night", sung by Patti Smith, written by Bruce Springsteen. Check out the live version sung by those two plus U2 on YouTube, a great moment of rock.**_

_**Maybe I should have warned you, dear readers, that this chapter was gonna get a wee bit – scratch that, REALLY steamy at the end… But then, I can't help but think many of you would have just skipped down to the hot bits and forsaken the rest. Am I wrong?**_

_**So… what do you think? Was it worth the wait? Happy that Buffy and Spike finally got it on? What will the infamous 'morning after' be like? Am I keeping you interested? Is the suspense thrilling enough? What will happen next? What What What? **_

_**Let me know… please? Pretty please? Pretty please with a Spike-clone on top?**_


	12. Chapter 12 I Can't Live With You

_**Hi everyone! So… been wondering what "the morning after" would be like, huh? Read on…**_

**Chapter Twelve – I Can't Live With You**

"_**I'm having a hard time  
I'm walking a fine line between hope and despair  
You may think that I don't care  
But I travelled a long road to get hold of my sorrow  
I tried to catch a dream  
But nothing's what it seems  
Love is saying baby it's all right  
When deep inside you're really petrified**_

_**[…]I can't live with you  
But I can't live without you  
Cause I'm in love with you  
Ooh and everything about you"**_

_**Queen – I Can't Live With You**_

They had made love twice more after that, and right now they were just lying together on their side, gazing in each other's eyes, basking in the afterglow. Not a word was spoken, but their smiles told entire stories…

Spike still had his doubts that the whole evening was real. For one, she was still there, she had not run off right after punching him in the nose, and not a trace of shame was visible on her face. She just lied there, looking at him looking at her. God, she was beautiful! And she loved him! At last she loved him! If this was a dream, then he wished never to wake up… and maybe…

"Do you want to stay the night?" he ventured.

If he had to breathe, he would have held his breath. If his heart could beat, it would have stopped. Awaiting for her answer and expecting it to be negative. Which would hurt even more now…

But she beamed at him instead, and said softly: "Yes, please."

He couldn't help a big grin to spread across his face, and he bent down to kiss her again with passion, wrapping his free arm to bring her closer. She kissed him back lovingly, and for a moment let herself feel love, loved and cherished. Nothing existed outside of his embrace.

_Why was it wrong before? Oh, yeah, the whole evil-and-soulless thing… but he hasn't been evil since he started loving me… Gayle might just be right, maybe you don't need a soul if you have love… so maybe we can actually work this out… Remind me to get the girl a fruit basket – oh my god, Gayle!_

"Oh my god, I can't!" she said abruptly, tearing herself from her lover's lips.

"Wha…? Why not?" Spike cried out.

"I gotta go! As in, now!" She jumped off the bed and started gathering her clothes…

"And I just woke up…" he sighed, falling back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"What? Oh no, baby, it's not what you think!"

"You tear out of here after you got your itch scratched, it bloody well looks like it!"

"But it's not! I was looking for Gayle when I came here and got… sidetracked, remember?"

"The girl wants to be alone, Buffy, can't you grant her that?"

"It's not just that! I told Dawn and Willow I was looking for her, and if they don't see me coming back, they'll think something bad happened to me!"

"Well, 'something bad' sort of did..." he said with a little lustful smirk. "Three times, in fact…"

Buffy laughed and threw the first thing she could grab at him… which turned out to be her pants. "You know what I mean, you perv! Plus I got to patrol!" She put on her bra and panties, realizing that it might be the first time he didn't try to steal them…

"Oh yeah, of course, patrol… did you call me 'baby' just now?"

Buffy finished buttoning her blouse and thought about what he just said. She smiled again. "Yeah, I did. Is… that a problem?"

"A problem? Bloody hell, no! … you're really alright with this, aren't you?"

"You mean 'us'? Yep. There'll be not getting rid o' me now!"

"Well in that case…" Quick as a flash, he had reached over the bed, grabbed her by the wrist and brought her back onto the bed and under him. Buffy squealed in delight. "… why don't you call Nibblet on your cell, tell her that Chirpy's alright, and that she'll see you again in about three days…" He then proceeded to nibble on her neck and jaw…

"Food might become an issue…" she managed to say between moans…

"We'll order in."

"And work…"

"You got the 'flu."

"Scoobies will ask questions…"

"Tell 'em you're too busy getting shagged by the Big Bad to answer."

She stiffened. "Yeah… about that…"

He stopped his ministrations to look at her. "What about what?"

"The others… I… kinda don't want to tell them about us yet…"

"Oh, Buffy, for fuck's sake, not this again!"

"They'll wig! You know they will!"

"Well, then they'll just have to deal with it, won't they?"

"Just… not yet, okay?"

"Why the bloody hell not?"

"Gosh, do you know how sexy you sound when you're angry? No, no, bad Buffy, stay focused! What I meant is that… they'll freak out and-and call us names, and-and say I'm messed up and – and just spoil everything! I just want to keep this – us, perfect, and not have to worry, at least for a while!"

Spike looked straight into her eyes. There was no shame there, definitely. "'Perfect'?"

"Yeah… as in, not polluted by everyone's opinion… I know they'll find out eventually, but until then, we can be just 'us', you know? Our love won't be spoiled by their insults…"

He thought about it. "So… basically, you're being selfish and not wanting to share?"

"Erm… yeah? Kinda?"

"Love, I don't want to be a dirty lil' secret anymore, I hope you realize that…"

"I promise you won't have to be, baby. I just… want you to be just mine a little longer…"

_To be just mine_… That just so bloody delicious to hear _those_ words coming from _her_ mouth, he couldn't resist: he reached up and mauled her lips with his.

"Could be just yours right now, pet…" he said between kisses, "and for a lot longer too…"

"Spike, stop!" Buffy giggled.

"Don't want to…"

"Okay then… no! No really, I have to go… Sacred duty…"

Spike gave up. "Alrigh'… tell you what: why don't I patrol with you? And then walk my lady home?"

He was still expecting her to say no, she had after all never let him be a part of that aspect of her life if she could avoid it. But, to his delight, she cooed: "Oooh, how gentlemanly! And then once the kiddies are all tucked in, you could sneak into my room and be all un-gentlemanly…"

He gasped in mock-shock: "Why, Slayer! You're becoming naughtier than me!"

"I know!... that's good, right?"

"Oh no…" he growled sexily, brushing his lips against hers. "It's bad… you're being very, very bad…"

She decided to go the distance. "Well, maybe I need to be punished for my wanton behavior…"

"That's it! I'm taking you right here right now!"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

The next night, Buffy was back in Restfield, almost giddy with excitement. Plan was she would do a quick patrol, then get to Spike's crypt for a quickie (well, kinda quick: it was sometimes difficult to keep track of time when both Spike and lovemaking were involved…), then back home for some stone slab research… and then some Spike-luving again when he would sneak into her bedroom _again_…

She knew she couldn't keep this secret for long, but right now, she just felt too deliciously naughty to care yet.

This time, it would work out… It had to… This time she would make sure it would. Spike and her could be happy, and nothing would stand in her way…

… except maybe the snarling fledgling that had just appeared in front of her.

"Oh goodie! Action!" she said happily. A good slay was all she needed right now to definitely get her 'in the mood'.

"The last action you'll ever have, bitch!"

Her eyes widened. "You're provoking me? Are you new here?"

The vampire stared for a second, then turned into conversation mode. "Why, yes, actually, I moved here about two weeks ago."

"Only two weeks?"

"Yeah, ain't that funny: it was supposed to be a new start, and now look at me: I'm dead!"

"Funny, yeah... soooo, what did you do, when you got here?"

"I had a little hardware store. Not much, but it was cosy."

"And you…like it here?"

"Oh, yes! It's very nice. Very homely."

"And you've never heard of me?"

"Oh, I didn't mean to be rude..."

"No, you weren't... does the term 'slayer' ring any bells to you?"

"The rock band?"

"A world of not even close."

"Sorry… but then it won't matter for much longer, will it?" he finally snarled before hurling himself at her.

Buffy stood still, stake at the ready, and was about to thrust it into the vampire's ribcage, when said vampire suddenly exploded into dust. She stared in surprise as a stake customized with swirly carvings and sequins fell on the ground in the middle of the dust.

"I thought we were supposed to kill them, not write their biography" said an annoyed voice.

Gayle had emerged from the darkness, dressed in her usual casual chic with the heavy axe that had become her weapon of choice in one hand, and was walking towards Buffy, obviously still upset.

"Did you just dust that vamp with a stake-throw?"

The brunette shrugged. "Well, yeah." She picked up her stake and put it back in her jacket.

"Wow… I can't even do that… I mean, I did once with some vamp-ho who was ru– getting away, but it wasn't with a stake, it was with a long heavy stick, more like a spear, really, so I had more momentum…"

"Now, who's doing the word vomit? I used to be on the weight-throwing team in High School, hence the – literally – killing throw."

"You were an athlete as well? Geez, Gayle, how come you never told me this stuff before? Oh, lemme guess: I never asked?"

"Erm… something along those lines, yeah."

"Gayle… please come home!"

"Buffy…"

"Dawn's not eating right!"

"What? Oh God, I knew it! It's anorexia, isn't it? I knew she was too skinny…"

"Huh? No! No, no, no! It's just… well, my cooking leaves much to be desired…"

"Oh, I see! You miss having the maid around! Well, sorry for the trouble, m'lady, shall I get ya a cup o' tea with tha'?" she said with a mock British accent, which had Buffy worried for a second…

"Spike? That's not you in there, right?"

Gayle actually snarled. "Geez, Barbie! You make so much with the body swaps around here even you lose track?"

"Okay, that 'Barbie' comment? That hurt!"

"It was meant to!"

"I apologized! Several times!"

"Well ain't that neat!"

"I thought you were after Spike!"

"You… What? You didn't even know I kissed him then!"

"Ah-ha! So you admit it was _you_ who kissed him!"

"I – He – Doesn't mean I was after him!"

"It doesn't? You know, for some people, it's a freakin' big clue!"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot! It's all about what 'some people' think!"

"Well, actually…"

"I found another body."

"… in a cemetery? It's kinda where they are…"

"No, not here! Last night, in an alley in the town center."

"Oh! You mean one of the liquidy variety!"

"Glad you could catch up. You still don't read the news, then? I told you you should – _Vamp!_"

Buffy had been so preoccupied by the argument, she hadn't even noticed the familiar tingles at the back of neck. Another vampire had appeared behind her and was getting closer, all fangs out. Gayle threw her to the ground and kicked at the creature, who fell back but got back up a second later.

"Slayersssss…" he hissed, and ran off. Gayle sprinted after him, leaving Buffy on the ground…

Buffy sat up, rubbing her arm. She has roughly landed on a rock. She knew the girl had never meant to harm her, more like to get her out of harm's way, but still, she could have been a tinsy bit more careful…

The hairs on the back of her neck raised up again, but this time in a fashion that made her smile…

"You alrigh' down there, love?" said Spike before helping her back up.

"Yeah… Just a bruise. Will be gone in an hour, thanks to good ol' Slayer healing."

"Was that Chirpy?"

"Right again. She's still mad at me…"

"That so?"

"Uh-huh…" she said sadly. "She hates me now. And it's understandable. I was horrible to her…"

"Right. 'Cos people only protect the ones they hate. Common knowledge."

"What?"

"Pet, the girl pretty much fixed up our last tiff, and now she pushes you out of reach of some fledge's fangs… Does that sound like someone who hates you?"

Buffy pondered this, then smiled at him. "You always know how to make me feel better."

He smiled back. "Yes, well, makes up for all the times I should have kept my big gob shut."

"I love you."

"Love you too, pet. Come 'ere."

He pulled her in for a tight hug and placed a kiss on her forehead. Buffy wrapped her arms around his waist under his duster, and let his embrace comfort her.

"You want me to go after her?" Spike asked after a while.

"Nah. Let her work the aggressiveness out of her system. Besides, she won't be long. Demon activity in on the low these days…"

Spike made a face.

"What?" she asked, worried.

"Well… might be nothing, but… like you said, demon and vamp activity has been real rare for a while now… Should be good news anywhere else, but on the Hellmouth? That's more like worrying…"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Gayle kicked at a headstone in frustration. She'd lost him! She had actually managed to lose a frikkin' vampire! She started to swear under her breath, not even noticing that the headstone she'd kicked had split in two with one half flying several feet away…

Gaining back control, squeezing the handle of her axe real hard, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and just let herself feel her environment. After a second, her right arm shot up, her index finger pointing in a direction at four o'clock. She opened her eyes, looked in that direction and turned to walk briskly towards that way.

Fifty feet later, she heard a noise nearby, coming from a small mausoleum. She went closer when she saw the door opened, and dashed behind a headstone.

Peeking out, she saw a young girl coming out of the mausoleum. She was young and pretty, with long wavy brown hair. She was putting something inside her denim jacket… and had blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

Not waiting a second longer, she got up and called out to the girl: "Hey there!"

The girl looked at her, surprised first, but then smiled and wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. "Hey back. Looking for trouble?"

"Looks like I found it. Funny... you don't register quite like a vampire..."

"Not everyone's out for necks. I'm more of an ass girl myself. Handing them out, mostly."

"So many puns I can make with that statement and the verb bite..."

"Yeah? Then this could be a lot of fun. Show me what you got, bitch, let's dance!"

The two girls threw themselves into the fight, both expertly dodging kicks and blows, until Gayle stopped a punch aimed at her face by catching the girl's fist in her hand.

The fight stopped dead when their skins touched and both shouted in surprise:

"YOU'RE WARM!"

Both girls let go of the other and took a step back, setting their bodies straight into battle stances.

"You're not human!" the newcomer said.

"If I'm not, neither are you!"

"I'm not a vamp!"

"You came out of a crypt! With blood trickling down your mouth!"

"Followed a vamp there, he's dust now! Blood's mine, he managed to slug me one! _You_'re hanging out in a cemetery at night! With an axe!"

"Okay, enough now: who are you?" growled Gayle.

"I get to ask first!" the brunette snarled.

"Oh yeah? Says who?"

"Says the Slayer who's going to beat you into the next century!"

Gayle gawked. It took a second for her to realize just who she'd been beating up.

"...Faith?"

The aforementioned looked confused. "...yeah? How d'you know me?"

Gayle's faced dramatically changed from confusion to glee, and she beamed. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe you're here! Wait a sec, shouldn't you be in prison?"

"I broke out."

"That much is obvious."

"It was for a good cause for once! Long story... Look I can't exactly explain everything in a jiff, but…"

"I still can't believe you're here! This is so great, we're gonna be like the... the Slaying Supremes, or something! This gonna be..."

"Erm..."

"... so cool, oh, and wait for the first shopping spree I'll –"

Faith held out a hand. "Sorry to interrupt –"

Gayle stopped smiling. "– the word vomit, I know, I tend to do that, sorry. And I still haven't introduced myself; I tend to do that too. Faith the Vampire Slayer, meet Gayle, likewise."

Faith stared, mouth agape. "Erm... am I dead?"

"What? No, well not that I know of... It's Buffy who died..."

"B's dead?" Faith gasped, her eyes widening.

"No! Well, not now, but she was… erm, for a while, and then Willow made with the magic mambo-tango and... well… she got better…?"

She stopped talking when she saw the look of utter confusion on her opponent's face. Clearly this wasn't something that could be easily nor quickly explained either.

So she went for her ever-faithful, never-failed-me-yet back-up plan.

"Cocoa?"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Buffy and Spike had walked back to her house hand in hand. Occasionally, he would grab her by the waist and kiss her deeply, favor that she was all too happy to return every time.

Once on the Summers' home front porch, he kissed her again, but was more reluctant to let her go.

"So pet, how are we playin' it in there? Gunna give me the cold shoulder an' all?"

She looked in his beautiful eyes that right now seemed so sad. He was really afraid of a repeat of last year's, and she felt so bad about it. But she still feared her friends' reaction and how it might influence their relationship. However, she absolutely refused to see her 'secret boyfriend' in pain if she could avoid it.

"Not going to give the cold anything. We're not going to pretend. We just… won't be outright open, is all."

Spike arched a brow. "Like Xander and Anya are doing, you mean?"

"Oh, you noticed that too?"

"Well yeah, I'm dead, not blind!"

"They think they're so sneaky…"

"We could be sneakier."

"Stop it, you're making me all hot!"

"That a fact?" he groaned low, kissing her throat.

They pulled off each other in a flash when the door opened. "I thought I heard voices!" said Willow with a cheery smile. "Was patrol okay?"

The 'secret' couple entered the house, trying to keep the grins off their faces. "Couple of vamps, nothing Major" answered Buffy. "Oh, and I saw Gayle briefly."

"Really? How is she?"

"Mad at me."

"Oh… I'm sorry, Buffy."

"She also said she found another 'body' last night."

"You mean a big puddle of goop?"

"Yeah… somehow the idea of just a dead body is less disturbing than a goopy one…"

Giles was still in the lounge, taking notes and surrounded by opened books and dictionaries. Buffy wondered if he had actually moved since last night. She turned back to Willow: "How's the translation coming?"

"On the Rosettagon?"

"On the what?"

"Well you see, it's got seven sides, right? So, in geometry, it's a heptagon, and it has several parts telling the same story in different languages, like the Rosetta Stone. So, Rosetta + heptagon = Rosettagon!"

Buffy just stared. Willow's face fell. "I know: I'm a geek… a nerdy geek…"

Tara joined them and wrapped her arms around her lover's shoulders. "No you're not, babe: you're just so smart and quirky, it makes everyone stare in amazement."

Willow beamed and hugged her tight. "And this is why I'm marrying this woman!"

Smiling at the happy couple, Buffy turned to Giles. "So, anything yet?"

"I'm still trying to work out the subtle differences. This verb here is conjugated in a way that could either be imperative or subjunctive, and either way could change the whole meaning of the sentence. Also, the second part and its periphrastic conjugation are troubling me with the use of the gerundive…"

"I'm sorry Giles, was I supposed to get anything you just said?"

Spike smirked as he intervened. "Means he's not sure yet, pet, as the whole thing is quite complicated and he wants to be careful so he doesn't get it wrong."

She looked back at Giles: "Well couldn't you just have said it like that?"

Giles let out a deep sigh, and took off his glasses to rub his eyes. The intense research was starting to tire him. "I heard there was another, erm, 'body'?"

"Yeah, Gayle found it last night."

"Ah, yes, Miss Masterson. Always in the right place at the right moment."

"What do you mean?"

"Just that. Somehow she seems…"

He was interrupted when the front door opened to let Gayle in. Buffy beamed and started running towards her… and stopped dead when she saw Faith. "What the hell…?"

Gayle rolled her eyes. "Hello to you too, and interesting choice of words. But yeah, look what I found!"

Faith gave a little wave, looking almost shy. "Hey, B. Long time no see."

"Shouldn't you be behind bars in a shocking orange jumpsuit?"

"Wasting no time, I see. It's a long story, but I'll try and keep it simp– _Behind you!_"

Spike had appeared behind Buffy, and Faith leaped at him, landing a kick in his chest that made him tumble down in surprise. As she was getting a stake out of her jacket, Buffy grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her backwards. Faith landed hard on her behind, bewildered and staring at the blonde Slayer.

"You're protecting a vamp? Are you the bad Slayer now?... am I the good Slayer now?"

"Spike is on our side!"

"Well, make 'em wear a sign or something!"

The commotion had brought everyone in the lounge, and they were staring at the new arrival. Gayle helped Faith up and glanced at Spike: "It's nothing personal: she attacked me too."

"You had an axe!"

"Well yeah, it's the Hellmouth… When everyone is done beating each other up, I'll get on with the cocoa making."

"Oooh, cocoa!" clapped Dawn.

Gayle smiled "Yeah. You wanna help?" She looked around and saw the other Scoobies smiled back at her, happy to have her back. "I take it cocoas all around?"

Xander raised a timid hand. "Could we have marshmallowy goodness with that?"

Gayle winked at him and, linking arms with Dawn, went into the kitchen.

Buffy seized Faith by the arms and led her to the dining room, the rest of the Scoobies in tow. There, she made the brunette sit down. "Spill!"

"Okay! Okay… Long story short: Angel broke me out."

Spike growled out loud. Buffy just gawked. "Huh? Who did what now?"

"Angel. Remember? Soulful vamp with spiky hair and broodytude? Your former boyfriend?"

"I know who Angel is, thank you very much! Why would he break you out?"

"That girl he works with, Cordelia? She's been having those horrid, real vivid vision by the dozen recently, and there's been some weird demon activity in the L.A. underground these past few weeks."

"Let me guess: on the low?"

"No, actually. We've been having vampire and demon immigrants coming by the ton. Most of them from here."

Buffy glanced up at Spike: "So that's where they all went." Looking back at Faith: "Any idea why?"

"Word is that there's something big brewing up on the Hellmouth. Real big. Cordy's vision tend to show stuff like you only see in horror movies, like melting guys or something like that…"

The whole gang except for Gayle was now sitting at the table, all ears at attention. This was starting to sound all too familiar…

"She also sees this woman, the one who's doing the melting. Never could see her face, except that she's dressed in white and hanging out with two guys. One of them, and this is way creepy, is dressed like a priest."

"Caleb", interrupted Buffy. Spike's jaw had tightened suddenly and he was grinding his teeth.

Faith made a face. "Shit, it has a name?"

"Yep. Gayle and I met him the other night. Real strong too. Two of us, and we couldn't take him out."

"That's bad…"

"Tell me about it… And the other guy?"

"The other one stays in the shadows, Cordy's never seen his face. But seems like the whole demon community feels threatened by their presence, and know they're not here for a bake sale. So they either lay low or move out."

"By the prickling of my thumbs, I feel another apocalypse this way comes" said Xander.

"Wrong again. According to Angel's sources, it wouldn't be and end-of-the-world ploy. More like a hostile takeover. With much bloodshed."

"As in Miss Melty wants a throne on top of the ant hill?"

"You got it. And apparently, you'll need all the slaying arms you can get, but since Angel has got to keep an eye on Los Angeles…"

"That's why he broke you out."

"That's why he broke me out. Of course, we didn't know about Gleeful Gayle back there. And really, B, I wanna help. I'm reformed, I swear! Just gimme a chance to prove it!"

Buffy looked deep into Faith's eyes, searching for any trace of deceit. She found none. "You know what? I believe you."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I've learned a lot recently about second chances…" She glanced up at Spike while saying the words, smiling. He smiled back with such tenderness it was all she could do not to kiss him.

Willow brought her back to reality: "Buffy, do you remember what we talked about the other night? About the possibility of there being a Succubus out there?"

"You still think it's that? But you said it's the wrong M.O. …"

"Wrong M.O., yes, but it's still the right victims, so even if it's not a Succubus, it's a good place as any to start with. Now, I've done my research and…"

She stopped for a second when she realized everyone was now sitting at the table, looking at her. She felt a bit nervous, like when she had to present a science project back in High School. She swallowed hard and continued.

"… turns out there are only four Succubi actives today, each of them ruling over one quarter of the Earth." She produced a folder from which she extracted several photocopies of ancient looking-drawings, obviously from some equally ancient book. "The first one, and first known, is Lilith, who rules over the Northern Quarter." She passed along a drawing of a beautiful naked woman with long wavy dark hair down to her knees, her body leisurely draped over a mossy boulder. "She was also the first wife of Adam, until she decided he wasn't… erm…"

"He wasn't at all sexually adventurous and not giving her enough orgasms", completed Anya. At the funny looks she received, she shrugged. "What? Doesn't everyone know that? It's an old funny story in the demon world."

Willow cleared her throat in a very Giles-like manner and produced another drawing, of an Oriental woman, dressed in a luxurious Chinese tunic with an extremely suggestive neckline. "There's Naamah, for the Eastern Quarter. Next," she passed a picture of a dark-skinned woman, wearing only a long, heavily beaded skirt and gold band on her hairless head, "is Eisheth Zenunim, for the Southern Quarter. And last but not least," the last drawing was that of a woman looking younger than the others, with curly pale hair, a playful smirk and a naughty gleam in her eyes, some kind of a toga loosely hanging off her shoulder, "is Agrat Bat Mahlat, ruling over the Western Quarter. Which would be where we are, by the way."

The drawings passed from hand to hand. Spike stopped on the one of the Western succubus, his mouth hanging open in recognition, but nobody seemed to notice.

"The four queens" continued Willow, "are also, technically, the wives of the King of Hell, a.k.a. the Devil, amongst other names. So, if it is a succubus we're looking for, we're dealing with the big guns here, guys."

"What about Caleb?" asked Buffy.

"Like Rico said, he's not working alone."

Giles chimed in. "Succubi are a fairly widespread legend back in Europe. Now I should also like to mention that they are shape-shifters, which might explain why Cordelia never saw the woman's face in her visions: she might using several. But they cannot take a male form, only female, so we will still have to deal with the other two. Which means we could have our hands more than full…"

Without a word, Spike got his cell phone out and dialed a number quickly before bringing it to his ear.

"Abby? Hey, luv, Spike here. Yeah, I got a phone at last. Not too bad, and your good self? Say, I was wondering if I could see you t'night… Brilliant! At Willie's in an hour? Ta, pet, see you then."

He switched off his phone and looked at Buffy, seeming quite pleased with himself.

Buffy frowned slightly. "What was that all about?"

"Got us a date with a Succubus. What else?"

A collective gasp was their reply. After a beat, Xander was the first to speak: "Okay, I know I should make some sort of funny here about demon interaction, but… Damn, man! You _actually_ know a Hell Queen? You can honestly start to color me impressed!"

Spike stared at the youngster. "Thanks, whelp… I think."

"How do you know a Succubus? Or is this one of those things I should not ask?" asked Buffy, slightly worried.

"I'm a man of many talents, pet. And I've got my connections. I'll tell you more when we meet her, yeah?"

"Meet who?" asked Gayle, coming into the room with Dawn, carrying at tray of steaming mugs. She started serving when the reply came…

"A succubus named Abby, apparently" said Buffy.

Gayle almost dropped her tray. "Wh-what?"

"I know! What kind of a name is that for a demon?"

"They're not exactly – Wait, how do we know a succubus?"

"Are those new pants?" Buffy gaped, pointing at Gayle's lower half.

"Why, yes. I got them yesterday… comfort shopping, you know…"

"They're amazing!"

"Aren't they though? I know bell-bottoms usually scream 'hippie-chic', but it's still chic, you know? And they just make my ass look so great and – Hey! I'm still mad at you!"

Buffy gave a winning smirk. "Admit it: it's getting thin! You're gonna forgive me sooner than you want to!"

Gayle threw her arms in the air. "That's it. I'm outta here!"

"Where are you going?"

"Patrolling. Won't do itself, ya know."

"You already patrolled! I patrolled! Faith patrolled! Gayle, why can't you stay here for more than five minutes?"

"Honestly? I don't want to. Not right now. Cocoas are ready, clue the new girl in if it's not already done. Gayle out."

She went to the door, opened it wide… and abruptly stopped short of running into the tall figure that had appeared there, a hand raised in an obvious attempt to ring the bell before being interrupted.

Gayle beamed. "Well, hello there, hot tall and broody!"

_**Some lines (you'll know which ones, I'm sure) inspired AND lovingly ripped off from the Season Seven episode "Dirty Girls", written by Drew Goddard.**_

_**I know several of you will notice I'm taking great liberty with the AtS timelines and storylines. We've already established I'm not making any profit from all of this, so sue me… I just really wanted Angel and Faith here…**_

_**Soundtrack:…well, looky here: no soundtrack… what's wrong with me?**_

_**As for reviewing…Well, must I really beg or make with the threats every time to get some lovin' around here? Come ooooooonnn!**_


	13. Chapter 13 The Past The Love The Memory

_**Last week, the Gentlemen came and stole my voice. That was scary. But I kept my cool, sent Joss (who owns everything and totally rocks) an e-mail and he kicked their butts! … What do you mean I'm crazy?**_

**Chapter Thirteen – The Past The Love The Memory**

"_**Let me take this time to**_

_**Ask you, inform you**_

_**Of all the things you did not know**_

_**I'm sorry I can't be the cure for your life**_

_**You were always by my side**_

_**Life spent without rain**_

_**You will always be the heart in me**_

_**You will always be**_

_**The past, the love, the memory…"**_

_**Skylit Drive, The Past The Love The Memory**_

The first thought that came to Angel's mind was _Wow! She's even prettier than Cordy!_ But when the beautiful brunette smiled brightly at him while obviously recognizing him, he couldn't help to smile back: "Hi, there. I'm sorry, have we met?"

She nodded. "Yes, when I was in –"

"Bloody hell!"

Spike had just appeared behind Gayle, and Angel, nom complete with growling game face, launched himself at him.

Gayle made a face as she was pushed out of the way. "Is this a regular occurrence with those two? Hey! I was talking here!"

Buffy came into the foyer: "What's going on – Oh, my god, Angel!"

"That's Angel? Oh, great: another one I can't fuck…"

"Gayle!"

"What? I'm a woman, I have needs!"

The two vampires were punching and kicking each other away, now fully in game face and into the fight… and starting to knock some furniture over…

"Ok, guys?" called out Dawn, holding a broomstick. "Let's take the testosterone out in the yard, okay?"

Neither vampire replied nor stopped fighting, but as Dawn kept pushing and poking at them with the broomstick, guiding them like a herd, they eventually rolled out into the back yard.

The rest of the Scoobies followed onto the porch and watched the fight.

"Is anyone going to stop them?"

Buffy winced. "It's complicated…"

Gayle glared at her. "Really? Like everything else around you. Anya?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm waiting for them to rip each other's clothes off so I can throw baby oil on them!"

"Anya!" screeched Xander.

"What? I am! Watching hot males fight in oil is a popular female pastime!"

Gayle's gaze zoned out for a second. Buffy gasped "Gayle!"

"What? Sorry, manwich thoughts…"

Buffy looked back at the fighting vampires. She had to admit, it was kinda hot…

"Hey, Giles, bet you a twenty on Angel winning that one!" said Xander with a nudge.

"Done", replied the Englishman.

Fifteen minutes later, they were still at it. Xander and Giles, now bored, had gone back inside. The girls, on the other hand, were all sitting comfortably on the porch and watched. Willow joined them and passed around a bowl of popcorn. "What did I miss?"

Gayle grabbed the bowl first, grabbed a handful and passed it on. "Spike called Angel a pathetic ponce, then Angel replied something like 'as long as I'm around you'll only be second best', at which point Spike landed him with a really mean kick that sent Angel flying and he landed against a tree."

"Damn! I miss all the good bits."

"How long is this likely to go on for?" asked Faith when the bowl reached her.

Buffy shrugged. "Well, they're immortal. If the sun doesn't ever rise again, it could be a while…"

"And they're still not naked…" sighed Anya.

"Tell me about it…" said the three slayers in unison.

The two witches and Dawn chuckled, before Tara pointed out: "You know, the neighbors are going to complain about the noise eventually…"

Dawn nodded. "I already got them out of the house, not much more I can do…" she said between mouthfuls.

"Not much _I_ can do either" said Faith, looking at Buffy. "They're not _my_ boyfriends…"

"Hey, they're not my… I mean… it's –"

"Buffy", interrupted Gayle with a raised hand, "I swear if I here once again the word 'complicated' coming out of your mouth, I _will_ hit you!"

"It's… not simple?"

Gayle threw her hands into the air.

Just then, Angel landed a mean blow to Spike's ribcage that sent him flying several feet in the air before he landed hard on the grassy ground.

"Hey, whaddya know?" mused Dawn. "Vampires do fly…"

Spike was back on his feet the next second and the fighting resumed.

"Ok, that's enough now" said Gayle.

She got up and walked to the snarling pair, keeping at a safe distance to avoid any stray blows. "Um, guys? Not that this fight isn't totally arousing, but you're kinda scaring the little ones. Plus we're out of popcorn. D'you think maybe you could stop the testosterone overdrive now?"

Neither vampire even acknowledged her presence. She renewed her request once, then twice, then stamped her foot while the girls behind all hung their heads down in desperation. Except for Dawn and Anya, who were munching away on popcorn like they were watching an intense TV show.

Reasoning that the end justifies the means, Gayle made her last move. Both vamps were punching each other on the floor, so she bent down, and to everyone's disbelief, grabbed their ears and pulled.

"OW! OW! OW!" cried out the 'victims'. Slowly, inch by inch, Gayle pulled them up into a standing position.

"Now, boys, I tried to be reasonable about this, but you left me no choice. You act like little kids, I shall treat you as such, got it?"

"Go Gayle!" Faith shouted.

"Thanks honey! Now you are going to stop fighting like schoolboys, and start acting like grown men… pires. Okay?"

Both vampires just winced, but also nodded frantically.

"Good. Glad we could agree." Gayle let go of their ears and started walking towards the house.

Behind her, Angel snarled: "I'm going to tear you apart limb from limb, boy!"

"Oh yeah? Come and just try to get me, you plonker!"

Gayle spun around. "Okay, apparently, I haven't made myself clear enough…" With speed that was exceptional even for a Slayer, she grabbed the vampires' ears again before either one had a chance move away.

"AAARGH!"

"He started it!"

"Did not!"

"Will you listen to yourselves?" Gayle growled. "You're worse than a couple of toddlers! Now, let's try this again in words you might just understand: stop the fighting or I will kick both your asses!"

"OKAY!"

"Say 'Yes, Mama Gayle'!" she said with another tug.

"OUCH! YES MAMA GAYLE!"

Satisfied, the newest slayer let go. After a threatening 'I'm watching you' gesture, then went back to the rest of the girls. Most of them had their mouth open, except for Faith who was clapping. Gayle smiled and gave her a Broadway-style curtsey.

Back in the yard, the vampires were massaging their sore ears.

"What are doing here, anyway?" Angel asked Spike.

"You couldn't ask _before_ you started the pummeling?"

Gayle snickered. "Ha! Ladies and gentlemen, the Scourge of Europe!"

"Shut up!" said both vampires in perfect unison.

Gayle pouted and sat back with the girls.

Angel turned back to his granchilde. "So what is it? You worked out another truce? Who needs killing this time?"

Spike shrugged. "Some priest and his cronies."

"… that's a new one."

"Bastard killed Dru."

Angel gasped. "Dru's dead? Oh my god, Spike, I'm so sorry… I did not even feel her go…"

"She was kinda under a spell at the time, mate… look it's a long story …"

"So that's what the truce is for? You want revenge?"

"… yeah, that too…"

"Too? What else is there?"

"It's really more Buffy's choice to tell you or not."

"Buffy's? Why? What is the matter with you? Why are you obsessing over her? Is it because she's different or prettier than the other two?"

"HEY!" said Gayle and Faith in unison, both outraged.

"I meant the ones he killed!"

"Whatever…" said Faith.

"Yeah, watch it!" said Gayle.

Buffy got up and walked to the vampires. "Angel, can I talk to you, in private?"

Angel nodded. Buffy took his arm and led him further down the garden. When she was sure they were out of reach of human and slayer ears, she spoke. "Angel, about Spike…"

"What's happening, Buffy? You don't have to ally yourself with the likes of Spike, you know. I'm here, I can help you! Just say the word."

"It's not that simple…"

"I know he wants revenge, but Dru was also my Childe! I'm entitled to revenge too!"

"Angel, I love him!"

Angel's jaw dropped. "W-what? No, Buffy, you can't…"

"I'm not asking your opinion or your permission. I'm only informing you before the rest of the gang so that you won't dust him!"

"Oh, he's dust, alright!"

"What did I just say?"

"Buffy, you can't seriously be thinking –"

"Seriously? _Seriously?_ Look at my face, Angel: do I look anything but serious?"

"But Buffy, this is Spike, for pity's sake! William the Bloody, Slayer of Slayers…"

"I'm quite aware of his titles, thank you."

"He'll only hurt you! You deserve better than this!"

That was the last straw… "Oh, Angel, wake up and smell the coffin, will you? I'm a Slayer, I come with a neat little expiration date in the package, which has already come a-calling twice! I'm never gonna die peacefully of old age in the comfort of my own bed! What I _deserve_ is to be happy at least a little bit for whatever time I have left! I _deserve_ someone who will love me and that I can love back without a curse or redemption getting precedence! I _deserve_ someone who won't hold back his feelings and who can be my equal in every way! Can you name _one_ person who can do all that better than Spike?"

Angel was dumbstruck. "B-Buffy… that's not what I meant… I wanted you to have a normal life…"

"I know you did, Angel. And I know you meant well. But you can't make choices for me. I can't have a normal life. I think somehow you already knew that, but you still hoped… and by extension, so did I. I don't even want a normal life anymore. I want Spike."

Angel shook his head. "No, Buffy, look, I know you've been through a lot and –"

"Peaches? Can I have a word?"

Spike had appeared at their side. Angel glared fire-y stakes at him. Spike ignored it and turned to Buffy. "You get some rest, love, I'll handle this."

Buffy raised her worried emerald eyes into his. "You sure?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry, I know how to handle the old man. You get back to your girlies."

Buffy hesitated for a second, then left, but not before giving Angel a last warning glance.

Angel watched her leave, then turned back to Spike: "Give me one reason not to dust you!"

"That Buffy will dust _you_ the second you do?"

"... Might be worth it…"

"Look, Peaches, I love her. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Love her? Yeah right! Bit hard without a soul!"

Spike chuckled. "Like a good friend of mine recently pointed out: you don't need a soul to love, you need a heart. And mine started beating again the day I met Buffy."

"Oh please!"

"M'not kidding! Look, contrarily to what you may all think, I know the difference between love and obsession! I love her, alrigh'? M'not saying it makes sense, m'not even saying it's righ' or wrong! It just is! I love her with all I am, and I'm just so damn lucky she loves back after everything… that's happened before between us! I jus' want to be with her, fight with her, make her happy as much as I can… for as long as she'll have me. And when she doesn't, if that ever happens… I'll just take a walk into the sun. Either way, you won't ever have to worry about me."

Angel remained silent for a moment, taken aback by Spike's vehemence. He then spoke again in a grave tone. "Does your demon love her too?"

"Oh, what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It's an important question, Spike, answer it."

Spike took in an unnecessary breath before answering. "Doesn't love her, mate. Demon worships her. Every time she gets near, I can almost hear it roaring. Wants to love her and protect her with everything it's got."

Angel nodded. "And has always been that way, has it?

Spike nodded. "Thought at first it was excited at the idea of killing her. Boy, was I wrong…"

Angel considered him long and hard. If he didn't know better, Spike could have sworn the older vampire was going to cry! "I thought… I hoped it would be me… so much…"

"Angelus? Never expected to say that ever, but are you all righ'?"

Angel looked away. "D'you believe in destiny, William?"

"Only that I make my own, why?"

"There's a legend going back centuries, about Slayers… That the famed 'slayer essence' was actually their equivalent of a vampire's demon. Kinda like they were made from the same mold."

"Yeah? So?"

"Well… every demon is supposed to have a mate out there, right?"

After a beat, Spike's eyes went wide in realization: "Are you sayin'…"

"If I were you, I'd wait a little before you do anything… permanent. To give both of you time to really find out the depth of your feelings. You can never be too sure."

Spike nodded quietly. Angel continued: "And if you do find out for certain that she's your mate… I'd like to be the first to congratulate you both."

Spike could hardly believe his ears. _Angelus_ was giving _him_ the all-clear?

But a second later, Angel had grabbed him by the lapels of his coat and pulled him roughly so close, their faces were almost touching. "Of course, it goes without saying: you hurt her, and you're gonna be in a lot of pain for a long time before you finally dust, are we clear, _William_?"

Spike smiled smugly: "Yeah, yeah, _Liam_, we are…" He then dropped his voice to a more serious tone: "And if I ever hurt her, I'll let you."

The dark-haired vampire looked into his grandchilde's eyes, and though he would never admit it, he could not see any deceit there. He let go with a grunt.

The vampires turned together to face the house… only to find the whole gang, including Giles and Xander, staring at them. They tried to look nonchalant as they made their way back.

Xander leaned in to whisper in Buffy's ear: "So I guess you told him about last year, huh?"

Buffy tried her best to suppress a blush. "Yeah… last year…"

She glanced back at Spike, and noticed he was trying hard to suppress a grin. His eyes were shinning with glee.

_Okaaay… my boyfriend is happy after a bloodshed-free conversation with his once arch-enemy slash eternal rival… my life is getting weirder and weirder… did just say 'boyfriend'? I'll be doing a happy dance in a sec if I'm not careful…_

Out loud she asked: "What was that all about?"

Spike tilted his head. "I'll tell you one day, pet. But the clock is ticking and we have places to be, yeah?"

Buffy pouted.

"Oh, put that lip away! You know what will happen if you don't!"

Reluctantly, she did. As the rest of the gang made its way indoors, she joined Angel.

"You're being very mature about this…"

"Yes, well, I'm nearly 300, Buffy. I had to grow up eventually."

"Says the vamp who 'did not start the fight'…"

"Shut up. By the way, who's the new girl? The ear-torturer? She's too strong to be human…"

"Oh, yeah, that's Gayle. It's a long story too…"

"One I'd love to tell you over a drink, handsome."

Gayle had materialized at Angel's side and was giving him her best seductive look: head slightly tilted, eyes half-closed, lips barely pursed with a hint of a smile…

Angel swallowed hard. _Think of Cordelia, think of Cordelia…_

"Erm, thanks, but… no thanks." With that, he went back into the house.

Gayle gawked. "I am so _not_ with the rejection!"

Buffy chuckled, and led her inside. "Plenty o' fish in the sea, girlfriend."

"Then there must be a lot of poaching in those waters…"

"I thought you didn't even want a boyfriend."

"And yet you go paranoid when I look at Spike a lil' too close."

"We've already been through this."

"Yeah we have."

Resenting Gayle's dismissive tone, Buffy tried to reach out. "I know about your brother."

Gayle frowned. "Which one?"

"Erm… Jayce, was it?"

The brunette closed her eyes. "You know nothing."

"I know what it's like to lose family…"

"… yeah, I guess you do…"

"What did he die of?"

She took a deep breath before answering. "He died of prison."

"What does that m –"

"He was on death row."

Buffy's breath seized in her throat. Too many confusing thoughts assaulted her at once. Gayle, one of the nicest yet strongest people she knew, was related to someone who did something bad enough to be executed for it? And she tried to release him onto the world? That didn't make sense…

She wanted to ask more questions, but then saw the closed up look on Gayle's face. The girl wasn't talking anymore tonight. So she switched tactics.

"Spike and I are going out to meet the local Succubus. Wanna come with?"

Gayle considered her gravely. "Depends. Can I talk to him without getting anything removed?"

"Keep your lips off the boy, and you go home in one piece."

"You drive a hard bargain. I'll try to control myself; I want a piece of the action."

Buffy raised an eyebrow.

Gayle rolled her eyes back. "The _slaying_ action, you big psycho! Are we going or what?"

The petite blonde laughed softly. "We're going. Hey, maybe she can recommend someone for you, boyfriend-wise."

"That'll be the day. Besides, Angel's still here. I'm sure I can work my magic on his mojo…"

Before Buffy could protest, Angel was peering in the kitchen where the girls had been talking. "Erm, Buffy? Could you explain to me the whole third slayer thing?"

Both girls erupted in laughter.

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Willy's was busier than usual when the blond vampire with two slayers in his wake entered the establishment. Most of the patrons were gathered at the bar, around what Buffy couldn't see.

"What's going on? Demon happy hour?" she asked.

Spike smiled. "Oh, the demons are happy, love… but it's got nothin' to do with the hour."

He made his way to the crowd and yelled out: "Alright, boys! Give the lady some room to breathe! Not that she needs it, but it's still nice, come on!"

Several of the creatures grumbled but still the crowd parted…

… to reveal a vision.

Casually seated on a bar stool, like being surrounded by demons was the most natural thing in the world, dressed in a simple yet stunning gold lamé dress, her legs crossed and her lips around the straw of her elaborate cocktail, was the most beautiful woman Buffy had ever seen. And she'd lived in L.A.!

Her skin was pale gold, smooth and flawless, almost glowing in the dim light. Her strawberry-blonde hair hung in loose ringlets around her face. High cheekbones, small chin, an elegant nose… There wasn't a single flaw anywhere Buffy looked… damn.

When she saw Spike, she put her glass down, and enthusiastically opened his arms to him. "William! Oh, darling, it's so nice to see you!" She then pulled him in a tight hug.

Buffy's eyes went wide when she saw _her _vampire hug the woman back…

"It's nice to see you too, pet. You look more beautiful than ever!"

"Oh, you smooth talker… Flattery will get you anywhere. In some places easier than others…"

"Don't I know it. Here, lemme introduce to someone…"

He turned back to his girls and motioned them to come closer. As they did, Gayle looked at the Succubus and pressed a finger to her lips so quickly neither vampire nor slayer noticed.

Caught unaware, the demoness tried to redirect her surprised expression on Buffy, who was walking closely to Gayle.

"Oh my gosh! Is that…?" she gasped pointing a neatly manicured finger at Buffy.

Spike nodded. "Yes, she is. Buffy Summers the Vampire Slayer, meet Agrat Bat Mahlat, Succubus Queen of the Western Quarter."

"Please," said the Succubus with a bright smile worthy of a toothpaste commercial, "call me Abby."

She extended a smooth, graceful hand to shake the blonde slayer's, whose mouth was gaping. "Hi… Abby. Erm… wow, sorry, it's not every day I meet a Hell Queen…"

"Oh, honey, I'm not exactly a queen. It's just a title. I'm more of a 'Hell V.V.V.I.P.', if you get what I mean. And your friend?" she asked directing her chin at Gayle.

Buffy recovered from her surprise. "Oh, sorry! This is, err, another Vampire Slayer…"

"My name is Gayle" the aforementioned said nonchalantly, shaking Abby's hand.

"Gayle, huh? It's a lovely name…"

Gayle smiled slightly. "Thank you. I like it too."

"Abby," Spike interrupted, "we need info, and these two an' their friends figure you might 'ave some."

"Anything for you, babe."

Buffy stiffened at the term of endearment. "Err, s'cuse me? I can almost accept the fact that an evil vampire knows an equally evil ho-queen, but what's with the verbal macking?"

"Buffy!" interjected Spike.

"You're a demon that brunches on young men's insides, I have every reason not to trust you!"

"Other than your obvious jealousy, you mean?" Abby answered, imperturbably smiling.

Gayle snickered.

"Gayle!" Buffy shrieked.

"What? Like she's wrong?"

Buffy shook her head and turned back to Abby. "Look, I dealt with a friend of yours a few years back, straight from hell like you and –"

"Oh you mean that nasty business with the First Evil? Or are you talking about that skank Glorificus?"

Buffy, taken aback, was speechless.

"It's okay, sweetie" continued the succubus, "it's kinda my job to keep informed, especially of events around a Hellmouth. I told you 'queen' is just a title, but more than that, it's a job. Now, Glorificus? Bothered us all, really. Trust me, it would not have been good for business if she managed to fuse those dimensions. You did us a great service by – oh gosh, I'm sorry, I forgot…" Abby's hands flew to her mouth, realizing her gaffe.

Buffy's jaw tightened, but then felt Spike's arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him: his ocean eyes were looking at her full of love and pain. Clearly, like her, his mind was being filled with painful memories…

Buffy relaxed and turned back to Abby. "And the other one?"

"Darling, seriously, I'm sorry…"

"Okay, apology accepted, now: the First Evil?"

Abby regained her composure. "A sore loser, who just couldn't stand somebody trampling his lawn. 'Somebody' being my hubby."

"That's the devil, right?"

"That's one of his names, yes, not his favorite though…"

Buffy arched a brow. "What is his favorite?"

Abby gave the blonde slayer a playful look. "It's never been heard outside of the bedroom."

Spike cleared his throat. "So, then. Info. Abby, do you know of any other Succubus active around Sunnydale?"

"What? No, I'm the only one… the other three have enough on their plates with their own quarters."

Buffy took over. "Somebody or something has been hunting in the same woods as you in the past few weeks."

Abby suddenly became serious. "What do you mean?"

"I know that Succubi prey on young, healthy, preferably even good-looking boys…"

"Indeed, we do. Right, William?"

Spike gave her a playful look. "I'm touched, luv."

Both Slayers glanced at each other before looking back at the Succubus with a very loud _"WHAT?"_

Spike cleared his throat. "Ahem, Abby and I have been… intimate. In the past."

Buffy's jealousy flared. Behind her, Gayle made a silent little clapping gesture towards Abby, who in return smiled smugly, but neither Buffy nor Spike noticed.

Buffy faced her vampire with fire in her eyes. "When did that happen?"

Spike's smile disappeared. "The summer you… weren't there."

Buffy's mouth fell open. "Huh?"

He then pointed. "See, Abby here's a shifter, like her sisters." When Buffy looked back at the Succubus, her face had changed to… Buffy's. With a slight head shake, Abby's features were back.

Spike continued. "I… was not in a good place… couldn't bear to be in a world where you weren't… But I promised you to look after the Bit. So some nights, Abby would come over and… play the part."

"We had an understanding: I 'helped' him through the pain, he let me feed off his energy. Which he has plenty of, I'm sure you know…"

Buffy blushed, but couldn't suppress a smile. "Yeah, he does…"

"TMI, girls, TMI…" sighed Gayle.

Spike placed a hand on Buffy' shoulder. "It stopped the moment you came back, love, I swear."

Buffy wasn't sure what to make of this. In a way, it was reminding her of the whole Buffybot incident. However, this was not about working out some sexual frustration. It was about having to live on… or being unable to.

She shook her head and turned back to face Abby. "Back to business. Like I told you, somebody's onto the same prey as Your Majesty. Young, pretty, yadda-yadda. Turns them into goo."

Abby's eyes went wide. "I'm sorry, turns them into _what_?"

"I know! Gross, right?" Buffy said with a face, then proceeded to explain the whole situation.

When she was done, Abby actually looked horrified. "Wow… that's…"

"Disgusting? Sick? Gag-worthy?"

"Oh my, all of the above! I've never heard of such a thing! And you think that I could have something to do with…"

"No, not exactly. But since you seem to go for the same victims…"

"The worse we can do to a 'victim', as you call them, though I promise you they never feel like one after I'm done –"

"To paraphrase Mama Gayle: TMI!"

Abby chuckled at looked at Gayle: "She calls you '_Mama_'?"

Gayle shrugged. "Lots o' people do…"

"Okay… As I was saying, the worse that can happen is that our 'victim' could fall into a coma, and that's only if we get really carried away. Usually, they just sleep for two or three days."

"You never kill them?" asked Buffy.

"No. Well, not in those conditions. I have killed the odd human in my time, but mostly in self-defense or because they deserved it. And even then, we don't 'melt' them, ewww! We do prefer to keep them alive, like that we keep a low profile… or we can even keep a couple of them as 'regulars'!"

Buffy raised her eyebrows. The term 'regulars' reminded her of a certain profession… "So, d'you have any idea…"

"Absolutely none. I'm sorry, really. I'll keep my ears open though. Like you said: whoever it is is messing on my playground. I can't allow that."

Buffy stiffened at the use of the word 'playground', but also knew that having someone of Abby's stature on her side could not be of the bad, so she let it slide. After a second, she turned to Gayle.

"You've been quiet."

The brunette shrugged again. "I'm paying attention. It's interesting stuff."

Buffy nodded, figuring Gayle was still mad at her. "Okay. Wanna go home?"

"Erm… actually, Willy's been ordering some excellent bourbon for me that I would like to sample. Since I'm here, it would be rude not to, don't you think?"

Buffy sighed in defeat. "Okay, that's… that's fine. See you later?"

"See you tomorrow."

Buffy nodded and started to leave. Spike gave Gayle a last long look, then turned to follow his paramour. Once they were both out of sight and hearing range, Gayle turned to face Abby so abruptly, the succubus couldn't help but flinch.

"Does Sam know you're here?" Gayle whispered kinda loudly.

"Well, hello to you too! Yes, I've been well, thank you, yes of course he does. Does he know _you're_ here?"

"Don't think so, and it's gonna stay that way, got it?"

"Are you threatening me?"

"Abby!"

"Okay, okay, I'll keep my mouth shut… You wanna explain?"

"Not really, no. You really have no idea what's going on?"

"I was being truthful, if that's what you mean. I like William."

"And you'll tell us if you learn anything?"

"Like I said. But this is big stuff: it won't go down unacknowledged…"

"Good." She turned on her heels, and started to leave.

She stopped abruptly when Abby call out:

"You're here for _her_, aren't you? The Slayer?"

Gayle did not answer and left.

_End of Chapter Thirteen._

_**Still no soundtrack… I'm losing my touch…**_

_**Send in the looooove…**_


	14. Chapter 14 With Or Without You

_**I hear you, I hear you… you're all cursing at me for letting you wait so long… Well, this chapter proved itself a bit troublesome to write… I wanted it to contain so many things… Anyway, it's here now, enjoy!**_

**Chapter Fourteen - With Or Without You**

"_**See the thorn twist in your side**_

_**I wait for you**_

_**Sleight of hand and twist of fate**_

_**On a bed of nails she makes me wait**_

_**And I wait without you**_

_**[…] Through the storm we reach the shore**_

_**You give it all but I want more**_

_**And I'm waiting for you…"**_

_**U2, With Or Without You**_

Buffy was lying in her bed, her mind replaying all the day's events. Basically, she now had more help with Faith and Angel, but still no clue as to who Caleb was or the reason of his presence. It was like having extra arms and nothing to do with them! And people kept dying in the meantime…

She was also confused about her meeting with Abby. Her Slayer instincts had been screaming _'Demon! Kill it kill it kill it!'_ but her experience told her that sometimes networking with harmless demons could work to her advantage. Alright, Abby wasn't exactly harmless, but she didn't kill, as a rule. Her 'victims' just slept while they recovered from the energy loss. And the stealing part wasn't exactly harmful either…

Another part that had her brain working overtime was how quickly she got over the idea of Spike having sex with Abby wearing her face. A year ago, she would have freaked and probably beaten the vampire to a pulp. Not now. Was she blinded by love or simply older, wiser?

She was still debating with herself when she heard a tap at her window. She looked with a frown only to find a certain British vampire grinning from ear to ear right outside.

She couldn't help but beam back as she jumped out of bed to open the window.

"Spike, what are you doing here?" she whispered.

"Well I remember a certain little lady asking me to join her and be – what was the word you used? – ungentlemanly. So here I am. Gunna lemme in?"

"No, I mean, yes, but why the window? Wouldn't the door be just as efficient?"

"Yeah, sure, but where's the fun in that? So, love, can I come in? It's a bit nippy out here…"

"Of course you can!"

He slid through the window in one fluid movement. As soon as he was back on his feet, he took her face in his hands and started to pepper her lips with small soft kisses.

"Why did you have to ask?" she managed to say between kisses as her arms encircled his wait. "It's not like I ever got your invite revoked…"

"I know. Just nice, is all. Tell me again, pet."

She quickly caught upon what he meant. "I love you, Spike."

"Again."

She laughed softly. "I love you. Am I going to have to repeat myself every time?"

"God, yes! I'll never tire of hearin' that! Love you, Buffy, love you so bloody much…"

As he started a path a kisses down his neck, he suddenly pulled back. "What's this then?"

He indicated Buffy's choice of sleepwear: a pale pink satin chemise, with a _very_ low neckline and a high hem.

"Oh, that…" she said in mock shyness. "Kind of an impulse buy… Gayle and I were going through the lingerie store at the mall, and she said I just had to have some satiny stuff… Had no idea you'd get to see it…"

"That right?" he said with a lewd smile, as a finger started to pull the thin straps down…

"Maybe… I might just not have wanted to admit it at the time… D'you like it?" She bit her lip in expectation. She looked so damn _delicious_…

"Oh I like it, pet, I do. Could eat you all up. Ooh, there's an idea…"

Before she could get what he meant, he had dropped to his knees and lifted her by the thighs in such a way that she fell on her mattress with a squeal. Her legs were off the bed, though, and between them was the face of a very horny/hungry vampire…

Spike bunched up the material to her waist… and grinned. "No panties, Slayer? Naughty, naughty…"

She giggled again. "What can I say? You're a bad influence…"

"What, me?" he said in mock shock. "Why, I'm sure –" he licked her slit from bottom to top, " – I have –" gave an open kiss on top of her mound, " – no idea –" nibbled at her nether lips, " – what you mean…" and finally clasped his mouth over her quivering clit.

Buffy moaned. _Okay that's at least two fruit baskets I owe Gayle… Ooooh, makes that three…_

Spike dined on her clit, stopping now and then to lick her sopping entrance. He reveled in her mewls and moans. When he started to worry the little nubbin with blunt teeth, her back arched off the bed and she had to bite her own fist to keep from wailing. He smiled smugly: "Too much, sweetheart?"

"Oh God," she rasped, "If you stop now, I swear I'll dust you!"

"That's my girl…" He replaced his mouth with his fingers while lips trailed softly up her abdomen. He flicked her clit with his thumb while slipping his index and middle finger inside her. Her heat was scorching. Made him wonder if his fingers would burn off…

He helped her out of her sexy chemise and his lips closed around a nipple. Buffy tried again to stifle her moans with her fist. "Spiiike!"

"That's me, love, what can I do for you?" he said between ministrations.

"Too… many… clothes…"

He stood up, and she whimpered first at the loss of his hands, but then kept her gaze on him as he shed his clothes. First the duster, then his t-shirt, and finally his jeans. His cock sprang out, hard and ready, and so _mouth-watering_ that she suddenly had the urge to taste it… Taste _all _of him…

His mouth back on hers however put a rain-check on that plan. She felt him tease her entrance with the tip of his cock, but she was _so not _in the mood for teasing! Every inch of her skin felt on fire. She needed him so bad; needed his touch, his cool skin, his love … She wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him in.

Spike gasped. "God, Buffy… so fucking tight…" He rasped as she engulfed him to the hilt. He would have liked to worship her body a little longer, but if she wanted him _now_, he was only too happy to oblige… He started a slow rhythm, burying his face in her hair and inhaling her scent. He could smell her powerful blood just beneath the soft surface of her fragrant skin. His demon screamed _'Mate!'_ and demanded a taste…

_Too soon… too soon…_ he forced the demon back and started murmuring sweet endearments into Buffy's ear.

Buffy bit her lip to keep herself from moaning out loud. It just wouldn't do to wake up the whole floor with her pleasure… She met him thrust for thrust, trying to increase the pace, but Spike had apparently decided to take his time tonight. _Bastard…_ She's show him…

She squeezed him with her internal walls as hard as she could. One of the good sides of having a supernatural boyfriend: no holding back necessary! Spike's eyes snapped open, as if they were about to pop out of his skull. His usual smug grin was soon back in place though. "Why, you lil' vixen! I'll teach you to behave…" He started to quicken his thrusts…

Buffy started to pant. "That's… uhnn… rich coming from you… mmm…" She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and back, her forehead buried in the crook of his neck, trying to bring him even closer to her than he already was… Deep inside something called out for him, something raw and needy… Something she had never felt with any other lover. Something _primal_…

They kissed again, a deep and claiming kiss. They both felt their orgasm nearing. It grew and swelled within them, within that place that was heaven and perfection and _just theirs_…

Buffy fell over the edge first, her climax erasing the confinements of her own body as she dissolved into bliss. She was close to screaming her pleasure when that primal part of her suddenly took over and she buried her teeth in Spike's skin, just where his neck met his shoulder.

It took Spike all his willpower not to shout as his release exploded inside her. Climax with Buffy was always incredible, but that one was beyond everything he'd ever known! As he came down from his high, realization hit him: Buffy had just bit him! She had actually bit him! Bloody hell, _she was still biting him!_

"Buffy?"

She opened her eyes, and realized she still had her teeth embedded in her lover's skin. _What the heck? I'm biting Spike!_ She quickly released him and looked up at him. _Oh my God, what's wrong with me? What's he gonna think?_

But his eyes were filled with nothing but awe and pure love. _Does she have any idea what that means for me? For us?_ "You bit me!"

"Erm… sorry?"

"God, baby…" he crushed his lips to hers. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?"

She smiled as she felt him hardening already inside of her. "Got a pretty good idea…" She wiggled her hips.

"Oh, Buffy, my sweet love… It's only the beginning…" he purred as he started to thrust again…

In the next room, Gayle woke up with a start. Her hand flew to the side of her neck…

"Wow… didn't see that one coming…"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

As much as it pained him to leave Buffy's bed and her warm embrace, Spike knew he had to. The sun was already up, but with a mad dash to the nearest sewer exit, he'd be back to his crypt in no time and none of the Scoobies would be the wiser.

Or at least that's what he thought on his way down to the back door, which was in the kitchen where was exactly the location where Gayle was, reading the morning paper and drinking out of a steaming mug. There was a smell of fresh coffee in the air and a grin on her face as he arrived in the kitchen and stopped… well, 'dead'.

"Ahem. Mornin', Chirpy."

"Morning. Spent the night here, huh?"

"I, erm, slept downstairs in the basement."

"No, you didn't."

"Beg pardon?"

"Well, for one, you're coming from upstairs…"

"Was havin' a shower."

"Your hair's not wet!"

"Dried it, didn't I?"

"And second: Faith slept downstairs. Now, I know you have a slayer fetish, but I still don't see _that_ happening."

Spike couldn't help but grin back. "Alrigh', Jessica Fletcher, you caught me. Gonna make me a cuppa?"

"You gonna tell me about your night?"

"Nope."

"I'll make you a 'cuppa' anyway. Not one to kiss and tell, huh?"

"You should know that, pet…"

"Ass."

"You love it."

"Can't say I don't. It's a mighty fine ass."

"Stop, luv, you're making me blush."

"That would be quite an achievement", said Dawn as she arrived in the kitchen and sat at the island. "What're you blushing about? Or is this yet again a conversation I'm too young to hear?"

Spike raised an eyebrow. "What do you think, Nibblet?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "That I'm hungry. Mama Gayle, would you make me some cereals, please?"

"Sure, honey. Berries and bran, still?"

The teen nodded enthusiastically. "Good to have you back, Mama!"

"Okay, one: I'm not completely back yet, and two: is that all I am to you? A cook?"

"Of course not. You're also a maid and a sitter. Good staff is hard to find these days, ya know."

"Ain't that the truth. What did you eat while I was away?"

"You know Buffy's cooking. We called for pizza."

"What!"

"Easy, girl. We ordered a Veggie one and a Ham & Pineapple. See? I got my intake of vitamins and proteins!"

Gayle rolled her eyes. She got on with breakfast as Buffy arrived in the kitchen. She stiffened at the sight of Gayle, who did the same and nodded at her. "Summers."

"Masterson. Fine morning we're having, wouldn't you say?"

"Sun's a-shining, birds' a-singing, sky's a-bluing. Fine indeed. Would you care for breakfast?"

"I would. Thank you. How was your evening?"

"Lovely company and excellent wining. As for –"

"Oh, stop it, Mary bloody Poppins and Eliza soddin' Doolittle!" snapped Spike. "Can't you just make up and 'ave bloody done with it?"

Gayle gasped. "'Mary Poppins'? That's worse than Chirpy!"

"Why am I Eliza Doolittle?" whined Buffy. "Why am the lower class girl while she's the Oscar-winning role?"

"Stop it! Now we're gonna all sit down, and have a nice, normal breakfast even if it's the last thing we do, dammit!"

Both slayers were a bit taken aback by the Brit's outburst. _Wow… authority Spike… is it wrong that it's getting me hot?_ thought Buffy. Dawn was trying very hard to keep a straight face…

Gayle straightened up. "Buffy? Eggs or pancakes?"

"Mmm? Oh, eggs please."

About five minutes later, Gayle laid a bowl of berried cereals in front of Dawn, a plate of eggs and bacon for Buffy, and a mug of blacker-than-black coffee for Spike, who took a sip. His eyes went wide. "There's blood in this, right?"

Gayle nodded. "Otter's. And a dash of chili pepper. My own recipe."

"Bloody hell, that's good coffee!" He attacked his mug like a man starved.

Buffy started to scowl at him. Spike felt her eyes drilling a hole in the side of his head and faced her.

"What? Well, I'm sorry, love, but the girl makes a mean cuppa! I actually think it bit me back!"

"Do you have to act like you're making love to it?"

Gayle chuckled. "God, even a hot beverage, Buffy?"

"What do you mean?" the blonde slayer asked with a slight frown.

"I mean your jealousy!"

"I'm not jealous!"

"Oh please!"

"And you! Why do you always have to be all over him?"

"All over–? And even if I was, what would it be to you? Can't have you, but he can't have anyone else?"

"I'm sitting right here…" Spike sighed.

"Shut up!" said the slayers.

"_I'm_ sitting right here!" Dawn voiced her discomfort.

Gayle shot a finger at her: "Eat! Dress! School!"

She was only rewarded with a grunt from the teen as she turned to face Buffy again. "Where were we?"

"Stop trying to steal my boyfriend!"

"I am not trying to steal your – _Boyfriend?"_

As Gayle squealed that last word, her face the very picture of glee, Dawn gasped and her hands flew to her mouth in an attempt to keep her cereals there.

"Oh my god!" Gayle screeched. "As in, officially? Have you said the 'I love you''s? Have you made love? As in, actual love, not just sex? You gonna go out on dates? With each other, I mean, 'cos obviously you couldn't date other people if you said the 'I love you''s and made love and everything, that totally be wrong and – "

Dawn interrupted by placating a hand over Gayle's mouth. "What our blabbering friend here is trying to ask is: are you, like, _really_ together now? As a couple?"

Gayle nodded frantically.

Buffy looked at Spike. He was waiting for her to answer, trying to keep a neutral look on his face. But she knew what was going on in his head. She knew what he wanted her to answer…

But was she ready for this? To admit her feelings to the world? Her unfortunate tongue slip already told her she wanted Spike in her life more than anything, but was she ready to act on it? She knew her relationship with the vampire was beyond strange, with the whole almost-killed-me-a-dozen-million-times history and all… If Gayle and Dawn knew about it now, it wouldn't be long before the rest of the gang did… And then…

But she also knew that those girls were different from the rest of the gang. They didn't care about differences. In fact, they embraced them and their own…

"Yeah…" she exhaled. "We're together."

Gayle squealed something that would have woken up the whole house if it hadn't been muffled by Dawn's hand. Both girls started to jump on the spot.

"I think they approve, love" Spike beamed at her. Buffy couldn't help but beam back, he looked so happy. So here they were: out in the open. At least partly. She had to tell the rest of them now, no way she could keep it a secret anymore with that many people in the know…

She snapped back to the present as the girls were being… well, really _girly_. In fact, annoyingly so… "Hey, you two, will you please calm down? You're acting like a couple of teens at the news that Justin and Britney got back together!"

"Justin and Britney got back together?" they screeched.

"Stop it!"

"Sorry…"

Buffy looked at Gayle. No traces of anger were visible anymore. "So, Mama… Are we cool?"

"If we're cool? Darling, I'm so happy for you!" Gayle then pulled the blonde in for a hug.

_Wow_, Buffy thought. _Make up with Spike = make up with Gayle. Who'd have thought?_

Suddenly, Dawn grabbed Spike by the shoulders and made him face her. "Oh, Spike?"

"Yeah, Bit?"

"You sleep sometimes, right? Vampires do sleep?"

He arched an eyebrow. "Yeah, we do. Why?"

"Just so you know: you ever hurt my sister again after this… and you're gonna wake up on fire. We clear?"

Spike swallowed hard. "Yeah pet, we're clear." When exactly did his lil' Nibblet get so bloody scary?

"Good. So, now that I've done my sisterly duty, gimme a hug!"

"Not sure it's safe…"

"Oh, come here, you Big Bad Baby!" She pulled him into a crushing hug.

"Did you tell the others? Don't tell me we're the last ones to know!" the newest slayer whined.

Buffy was reminded of her earlier internal conflict. "No," she shrugged. "I told Angel last night, but that's it."

"So when's the big announcement?"

"Well… I, erm, we… haven't come to that part yet…"

"Oooh, is it a secret? For insuring secret naughtiness?"

"… you know me so well, it's scary sometimes. It's a good summary, yeah. But I guess we'll have to come out of the closet soon…"

"We don' have to if you don't want to, luv…" Spike said gloomily. Once again his eyes were filled with doubt.

Buffy's heart swelled. "Yes, we do. It's time, Spike."

He looked up at her again, and she was relieved to see that awe-filled expression back on his face. Gosh, it felt just so good and right to see him happy. "As much as I would have liked to stay secretly naughty a little longer…"

"Oh, you mean like Xander and Anya?" said Dawn.

"Puh-lease! We're way sneakier than Xander and Anya!"

"If you say so…"

"ANYWAY… It's time. I'll tell the gang this afternoon. I can do this."

In a flash, Spike's mouth was on hers. A second later, she was thrown across his shoulder and carried up the stairs…

Dawn made a face. "I'm way too young to have seen that…"

Gayle sighed. "So… Anya and Xander…"

"Tara and Willow…" added Dawn.

"And now those two…"

They exchanged glances. Gayle said: "You're too young."

"You need a date."

"Oh god, yeah I do…"

The door to the basement opened slowly, revealing a sleepy and grumpy Faith. "Geez, guys, have heart for a poor girl who's been up all night, what's with the squealing and stomping?"

Gayle exchanged a mischievous glance with Dawn before answering: "Justin and Britney got back together. Coffee?"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Buffy swallowed hard. "I can't do this."

"What? Why?" asked Gayle.

"They'll wig!"

"They won't."

"Yes they will!"

"Okay, then. They'll wig. Don't say anything. But I'm not gonna be the one to tell Spike he still has to walk on eggshells around the gang. That will be your job."

_Touché…_ "Okay. If they kill me, will you avenge me?"

"They'll know the true meaning of 'Wrath of Gayle'! Come on: right foot, left foot…"

Gayle gently led Buffy through the door of the Magic Box, where she had called a Scoobie meeting for that late afternoon. The gang was there, even Dawn, who had just arrived from school. Buffy would have expected her sister to be buzzing with excitement, but she looked amazingly calm. For that she was grateful. Angel and Faith were still at home, catching on much-needed sleep.

Giles greeted his slayer with a warm smile. "Good afternoon, Buffy." A short nod to Gayle: "Miss Masterson." Contrarily to the rest of the Scoobies, Giles had never warmed up to Gayle… "Buffy, if this is about the stone slab, I have good knew: I'm nearly done with the translation! I just need…"

"Hey Buffster!" interrupted Xander. "Mama Gayle, I just got a limited edition of _Wrath of Khan_, you want in?"

"You bet! Me-sa wants some Ricardo Montalbán badness!"

"Cool! How about you, Buffy? You up for some intergalactic pure badassness?"

Giles took off his glasses. "Really, Xander, I do believe there are more important things at –"

"Is that the one with that chick from _Sex And The City_?" asked Willow.

"No, she was in _the Undiscovered Country_, like four sequels later. Good one too."

"Uhm, guys?" said Buffy shyly. "I… I have something to say…"

"So which one had Whoopi Goldberg in?" asked Anya.

Buffy cowered and was about to give up when Gayle took charge. "Hey guys! How would you feel about me being in love with Spike?"

An extremely loud "_WHAT?_" coming from all the Scoobies (Buffy included) was her reply.

"Are you quite mad?" Giles exclaimed

"Spike, of the evil vamp spikety Spike? That Spike?" said a dumbfounded Xander.

"What is it with him and slayers?" asked Willow. " 'Can't kill 'em, do 'em'?"

"I knew he had a thing for slayers, but still…" wandered Anya.

Gayle raised both her hands. "Guys! No need to dwell on this for hours! I love Spike: are you all okay with this or not? Answers would be needed, like, right now!"

Understanding flashed across Willow's face. She looked at Tara, who nodded softly, then back to Gayle. "Well, Mama, if you're happy, we're happy."

Xander turned to her abruptly, saw the serenity of her expression, and softened. "Yeah… like Willow said. Hope it works out for you the way you want."

Gayle smiled her very Gaylish smile and turned to Buffy. "See, darling? They've only known me a few weeks. How do you think they'll react with you?"

As relief and gratitude spread across the blonde slayer's face, the penny dropped in Xander's head. "Oooh! Oooh! It's not you, it's Buffy! Buffy's the one in love with Spike!"

Gayle turned back to him, still smiling. "Yes, Xander. Buffy's in love with Spike. Got a problem with that?"

Xander remained speechless for a few more seconds, then shrugged. "Well… as long as I don't have to like the guy…"

"He'll grow on you." Gayle then turned to Willow who had a devious look on her face. "I never fooled you for a second, did I?"

"Nope!" the redhead grinned.

"I'm definitely losing my touch…"

"Now hold on for a minute!" Giles shouted. "Buffy, have you completely lost your mind? Haven't the past six years taught you anything?"

Buffy's smile faded. "W-what? Giles, please, try to understand…"

"Oh but I understand perfectly the situation, Buffy! I understand that _yet again_, you're letting your emotions getting in the way of your duty! I understand that YET AGAIN, your fascination with a vampire is getting the better of you! I understand that _YET AGAIN, you're putting us all in danger!"_

This was exactly what Buffy had been afraid of. Exactly her nightmare coming true. She turned to Gayle, her voice strangled with emotion: "See? It's always gonna be like this! Nobody will ever accept us! Everywhere we go, we'll be shunned by everyone! How can I possibly keep this up?"

She flopped herself on a chair, folded her arm on the table and buried her head in them to cry.

Gayle's heart broke when she saw her little back heaving with sobs. She turned to the rest of the gang with an angry look on her face.

"Out! All of you, and now."

They just stared at her. Giles was outraged: "It's my bloody shop!"

"You're deaf as well as blind? Get out, I said, the girl needs some space! Out out out!"

She went to the front door and opened it, gesturing them once more to leave. Xander opened his mouth to protest, but Gayle shot him such a look that he decided shutting up might be a better idea if he wanted to ever speak again. Instead, he turned to Giles: "Just so you know, I totally blame YOU for this!"

Giles barely harrumphed in acknowledgement. One by one, they left to wait on the pavement.

"Do I have to go too?" asked Dawn.

"Especially you, darling. I need you to give the old man a good death glare while I take care of your sister."

Dawn nodded. "You can count on me for that."

"I knew you were the girl for the job. Give him hell."

She closed the door behind the teen, and went back to Buffy, who was still sobbing heavily. She tried a soft approach by gently placing her hands on her shoulders, but Buffy just roughly pushed her off.

"Please don't! I know what you're gonna say!"

"You do?" _Good, one of us does…_

"Yeah! You're gonna tell me it's going to be all right, that it will all work out in the end…"

_Whoa, massive déjà vu here…_ Gayle thought.

"…that my friends will come around my feelings, and some similar crap!"

"Well most of them seem okay with it, sole exception being Watcher-man. But even if they were all against you, how could I tell you that? I have no idea if they ever will, I seem to have misplaced my crystal ball, but I ain't gonna lie to you, it doesn't look good…"

"Oh, thank you for that!"

"What? Would you want me to lie?"

"… no…"

"Okay then, I won't. I don't know if they'll ever all fully accept your relationship with Spike, Buffy, but one think I know for sure: they don't have to."

Buffy's eyes went wide. "What?"

"For fuck's sake, Buff! How many times have you saved the world? How many times have you saved each and every one member of your little gang? Jeez, you've even died for them! Twice! The second time, they even decided you'd had enough forever-shut-eye and ripped you out of Heaven! You owe them nothing, they owe you! So if they can't accept the man… pire you love despite all that you've done, you know what? Screw 'em!"

Buffy just stared at her. _And the scariest thing is it does make sense…_

"If any of them give you shit about your love life after all that, then they don't deserve to be your friends."

"And you do?"

"Don't make this about me. You're just being childish in hope that I'll let you go to your room and cry your eyes out. Ain't gonna work, missy! Plus, you're being overdramatic!"

"_I'm_ being overdramatic?"

"Yes, you are! You're not even noticing that Giles is the only one who has a problem with this! Dawn and the witches are all on board, and did you hear Xander raise any protest? I know, that was a big surprise for me too, but still! Your friends love you, Buffy, they're already beyond the wigging part! Giles might need a bit of work, but like I said: you don't need his approval, even if you think you do. Once again, you're seeing the worst where it doesn't exist."

Buffy sniffled. _Damn that woman when she's right… _"What if Giles is right? What if it doesn't work out?"

"Then you'll hurt. Maybe a little, maybe a lot. You might even get your heart broken. Like a lot of people on this planet. Like every other human girl on the planet."

_Like every other girl…_

"But you can't always avoid the pain, Buffy. It's what makes life what it is: life. But you will also have known happiness, even if it's just a little bit. And that… that's worth everything."

Buffy started crying again. "Oh, Gayle… he' in my blood, he's in my heart, and I know I've hurt him so bad! And he's hurt me so much too, but I couldn't bring myself to hate him! I felt at first like I was betraying every slayer and every woman! Just by wanting him, longing for him! And I _know_ now we could be so good together! But they don't! They can't see him the way I can! Giles doesn't even want to! Oh god… what do I do?"

Gayle said nothing. She got closer to the tearful child and placed one hand on her of Buffy's shoulder. She then looked straight into Buffy's eyes and said softly:

"Godspeed, my darling."

Buffy's eyes went wide in understanding. She knew what she wanted to do, what she _had_ to do… She gave her sister slayer a crushing hug, then ran out of the shop with all the speed her powers would grant her, ignoring the stares of the Scoobies as she disappeared around a corner.

"Okay, now!" shouted Gayle from inside. "Your turn, guys! Get back in here!"

The gang re-entered the building, most of them confused except for two: Giles, who was fuming, and Dawn, who ran to Gayle and announced proudly: "I gave him the death-glaring of the century, Mama Gayle!"

"Well done, kiddo! I knew I could count on you!"

Giles roared. "Gayle, really! You can't really expect us to go along with Buffy's choice of…"

"Choice? CHOICE? What on earth makes you think she has one? Did you when you fell in love with that Calendar person? Did you", pointing at Willow "when you fell for a woman?"

Willow made a face. "What are you going at me for? I'm all for the romance!"

"I know, honey, just bringing water to my mill, don't pay attention. Or you" pointing at Xander "when you proposed to a demon?"

"Ex-demon.", Anya pointed out.

"Not so much these days, though, right?"

"Not so much engaged either…"

"For fuck's sake, Anya, gimme a break, will ya? I'm trying to make a point here!"

"Sorry. Shutting up now."

"Thank you. Seriously, you're acting like love has an off switch. Yes love can be bad sometimes, and love can hurt you, and you can love the wrong person, but… Geez, man! Even if it gives you one second of happiness, isn't it worth it?"

"Gayle, you spoke yourself of a man that you've once loved deeply, and then left you horribly hurt…"

"Yes, so what? At least I can go to my grave having known perfection, however briefly! Something you are denying the poor girl! For fuck's sake, we shouldn't even be discussing this! Do you need it spelled out? It's. None. Of. Your. Business!"

"It is if it puts our lives on the line! What if he decides he wants us dead again, now that the chip is out of his head?"

"Then I think she'll hurt more than you. You'll be dead. The dead don't care. The living stay and suffer. At least _she_ will let _you_ rest."

Willow looked at her, horrified. "Gayle… ouch."

"Sorry, hun. Water to my mill."

"Does it have to be bloodstained?"

"Worked for Moses."

"Good point."

Giles grunted and took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Xander, a little help here…"

Xander just stared at the floor and stayed silent.

Giles repeated: "Xander?"

The younger man took a deep breath before speaking. "Honestly? You're on your own, pal…"

A collective gasp was his response.

Giles' mouth was agape. Was he hearing voices? "What? Xander, you can't possibly be serious!"

"Yeah, well, I am. Giles, you've seen Buffy last year, when she came back. She was like a walking corpse… I don't want her to go through that again… And if Spike can help her…"

"You said it yourself: he tried to rape her!"

"_Tried_ being the important word, G-man."

"Xander!"

"Well, why d'you think it hurt her so much? I mean, how would _you _be feeling if someone you were sure would never hurt you was suddenly the cause of _your_ greatest pain?"

Gayle smiled as the boy used her words. _Damn, I'm good…_

Xander continued: "We've all been there with Angelus. But also we've all caused the people we love pain, we can't possibly call ourselves innocents! You with Buffy's Crucia-thingy, Willow with her memory spells… and me" he handed out a hand to Anya, who looked at him expectantly, "when I hurt the woman I loved and still love, when I had promised her I would take care of her…"

Anya beamed at him and took his hand. _'Still' love?_ He pulled her up and brought her flush against him. "We're all trying to make amends. So is Spike. Yet he's the only one whose amends we never want to see, and that's… well that's unfair!"

Giles gaped. "Who the bleeding hell are you?"

"It's still me, Giles. I just got my eyes open, that's all."

Giles frowned and turned to Gayle. "And I bet I know who is responsible for this brand new eyesight…" he said while turning to glare at Gayle.

The Pennsylvanian slayer raised her hands in a defensive manner. "Whoa, don't shoot me just yet, dude! I just had a little talk with the boy to spare everybody some pain, is all!"

Giles almost growled. "Yes. 'Just a little talk'. Just like you got everyone around your little finger! But I see what you're doing, young lady! And you don't give a bloody damn about the consequences of you actions, do you, miss look-at-me-I-can't-help-but-being-perfect!"

"Ouch, you wound me so. You wanna play that game, Watcher? Well you came to the right person, 'cos I got lot o' bullets in that belt, asshole!"

"More than connections in your brain, I'd wager, you prissy little cow!"

"Ya tryin' to be scary, Jeeves? Gotta tell ya, it ain't working."

"Why, you moronic pest…"

"Gigantic twerp!"

"Nosey parker!"

"Son of – I'm sorry, what?"

"Okay, guys?" Dawn intervened. "I can actually feel the flying of fur coming this way, and I really wouldn't want anyone to get hurt…"

"Yes, quite right…"

"I meant you, Giles."

"I'm sorry?"

"You're alone against a slayer. Granted, she's a rookie, but still, I've seen her fight and I can guarantee that you'll be at the losing end. So I'm saying this with love, really: drop it, Rupert!"

Giles' mouth fell open and he felt it would probably remain so for the rest of his life. He turned back to face Gayle, expecting to see a smug smile plastered on her face, but there wasn't. She was just glaring at him with tightened lips and cold anger in her eyes.

He then circled the room with his eyes. The anger was Gayle's alone. The other children in the room seemed only to be pleading. In truth he hadn't been so angry since his Ripper days. But he saw that anger would not lead him anywhere tonight. With one last look at Gayle, he grunted and promptly went to the door, putting his jacket on.

Tara followed him. "Giles…"

"Please understand , Tara: I hold you in the highest respect, but I do not wish to hear anything you have to say."

"Well, you're going to anyway: we're not ganging up on you… we just want Buffy to be happy."

"You certainly have a strange way of showing it. Anya, thanks in advance for locking up. Good night." He then left, not caring how deep his word cut the blonde witch.

Giles got into his car, his jaw tightly locked. On the drive home, he was calculating the time difference between California and England. He had a few phone calls to make…

He did not notice the dark car following him.

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Buffy had run the whole way between the Magic Box and Spike's crypt. She was out of breath when she bursted through the door and had to stop before doing anything else.

She was still panting when Spike's head peeked in from the lower level. He smiled broadly at the sight of her and finished climbing the ladder to join her.

"Hi, love. Couldn't wait to see me, hey?" he said before noticing her red eyes. "Buffy, what's wrong?"

Instead of answering, she ran into his arms, wrapping her own around his neck and hugging him tight. He returned her embrace, asking worriedly "Please, pet, talk to me!"

"I love you!"

"That's what's wrong?"

"No, it's not. Nothing's wrong and I love you."

"So you often cry like that for no reason?"

"Yeah", she pulled back to smile at him. "Get used to it."

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

To lighten the spirits Gayle invited the whole gang to the movies. They were in the waiting line outside the theater when Dawn noticed one of the most handsome men she's ever seen, even in her sister's _Playgirl_s, looking at them from a distance. He was probably in his mid-thirties, tall, dressed in an impeccably cut grey three-piece suit, had wavy shoulder-length reddish-blond hair, extremely refined features… _Wow! If only I was ten years older…_

The stranger was looking intently at their group… no, wait… he was looking at Gayle! _Alright, Mama's got a hot ticket!_ "Gayle, super-cute guy checking you out at six o'clock."

Gayle adjusted her hair with false nonchalance and turned in said direction…

… and froze.

She remained glued to her spot for several seconds, until she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Gayle? Are you okay?"

She snapped out of her trance. "Erm… yeah, yeah… Excuse me…" she started to leave the group.

"You know that guy?" asked Dawn, following after.

"_You stay here!_" she growled at the teen. "Just stay! Leave this to me, and go back to the others!"

Dawn confused and a little scared, did as she was told. She rejoined the group, where Tara pulled her into her arms.

Gayle turned back to join the stranger, who now had a predatory smile on his face. She looked at him in silence for a while before speaking in a strangled voice: "So… I guess Abby sold me out?"

The man sniggered. "What, after all these years, that's how you greet me? That's not very nice, Gayle. That _is_ what you call yourself now, right? Fitting. And Masterson for a family name: that's cute!"

"Please, Sam, just… just don't hurt anybody…"

"Who says this is a hurting visit? I just wanted to know how you were. Can't I do that?"

"We both know you never do!"

"Oh… right, I don't. Maybe I should start. 'That the Slayer I saw you with earlier?"

"_Don't you dare touch her_!" she barked.

Sam looked slightly surprised at her outburst, but then just laughed. "My, my! You're touchy, these days! You know, a lot of my people have a bone to pick with her…"

"Sam, I swear, if you ever do anything to Buffy, I'll…"

The playfulness disappeared from his face. "You'll do what? Kill me? Honestly, I'd like to see you try, god knows I know what you're capable of, but I'm rather surprised you dare to threaten me! You know what happens to people who threaten me?"

Gayle immediately lowered her tone. "I'm sorry, Sam, I shouldn't have. It won't happen again."

"Good. I would hate to have to make an example out of you. Don't you ever dare to speak to me like that again."

"I promise I won't."

"Excellent. Now about that Slayer… Oh, and look: she has a gang too… That her sister?"

Gayle gasped. "Please, Sam, I beg you, don't do anything to those kids! I'll do anything you want!"

Sam's lips curved into a predatory grin. "Are you trying to bargain with _me_? That's dangerous, that…"

Gayle's eyes welled up with tears. "Just don't hurt them… please… I'll come back to work with you if you want…"

Sam's grin disappeared, replaced by a look of utter surprise. "You… would do that?"

"Yes! Anything! Just don't hurt them!" she said between sobs.

Sam stared at her. All of his cockiness had vanished. Gayle was looking at him like she was hanging on for dear life at a rope he was handing her.

He exhaled before speaking again in a low tone. "You don't need to do anything. I won't hurt them."

Gayle stared in disbelief. "Really?"

"I lie to many people, Gayle, that's my prerogative, but never to you. You don't have anything to fear from me. I honestly just wanted to know how you were doing."

"But then… why did you mention…"

"Just testing you. You really care about that one, don't you?"

"You have no idea."

"I think I do. A little bit, at least. I guess I better be on my way. You take care, kid. Drop me a line sometimes."

He walked past her. Gayle caught his arm. "Seriously, Sam? You were just worried about me?"

Sam's eyes bore into her own. "I know it's hard to believe coming from me. But sometimes… I just miss my little sister, okay?"

Gayle saw that he was telling the truth. She let go of his arm. Sam gave her one last look before walking away and disappearing into the night.

She stood there for a second, hardly believing what had just happened. She forced the threatening tears back and slowly made her way back to the group. They had not heard a word from the conversation.

"Who was that?" asked Willow.

"Nobody."

Xander huffed. "Didn't look like nobody…"

"_It was!"_

The Scoobies stared at her. It was so un-Gayle-like to lose her temper like that. She seemed to realize that herself and quickly retrieved her composure.

"Listen, guys, you're gonna have to just take my word on this: if you ever see that guy again, and I'm not with you… run as fast as you can in the opposite direction. I can't tell you more than that."

"Gayle, if that guy bothers you…"

"Dawn, please… just… just trust me. Please?"

Dawn looked at her. She looked genuinely distressed… Never before had she seen that look on that face. She thought hard for a minute. Gayle had never been anything else but a pillar of strength and love. If she hid something from her… it was bad. Real bad.

But they shared so much. The relationship she must have had with the stranger must have been a very peculiar one for Gayle to be so protective. Abusive boyfriend? No, too out of character. Dawn convinced herself that she would get an answer one day. She nodded.

"Okay", Gayle continued. "Just remember: see him, not me? Run. Like. Hell."

The other Scoobies could do nothing but agree. Thirty minutes later, as they were enjoying Vin Diesel's latest prowess, Rupert Giles' apartment exploded.

_End of chapter fourteen._

_**Some lines taken from the Season Seven episode "Beneath You", written by Doug Petrie. I just loved scary Dawn!**_

_**Xander and Gayle are referring to the 1982 film "**__**Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (property of Gene Roddenberry), where **__**Ricardo **__**Montalbán plays one of the best Star Trek villains E-VER!... Yes, I'm a geek, and your problem with that is…?**_

_**Review NOW or feel MY wrath… **_


	15. Chapter 15 Unexpected

_**I'm baaaaaack! Holy Rip Van Winkle, it's nearly been a year since my last post! Which wasn't even a proper one! But please, my darling readers, before you start throwing stones **hides under desk**, let me updates you on the big suckfest that has been my life...**_

_**Remember the USB drive theft incident? Well, I got a job offer soon after that, so I quit my horrible job full of assholes, and embraced a new career in the textile industry. I was so happy there! But after a few months, they had to let me go because, according to my boss, there wasn't enough work going around. Truth is, as I found out soon after, it's cheaper to hire temporary help than actual professionals... So now, after actually quitting a full-time paid job for those tight bitches, I'm trying to launch my own business... which is good, but slow-starting...**_

_**On the bright side, Love has come my way... And I have time to write now! I'll try to post as often as possible, I promise, but you'll understand the Muse has kinda made herself scarce these past few weeks... We've had words... Nonetheless, enjoy!**_

**Chapter Fifteen – Unexpected**

"_**It's not just me you know, there's a lot of ruined smiles,  
And I remain so strong for them, even though, I'm burst inside.  
It was unexpected, But I always should have known,  
That you would lead a shortened life coz your light was running low.  
Felt I was one with you, and you reassured my head,  
Didn't seem the same when you were lying in your bed."**_

_**The View, "Unexpected"**_

Angel was fuming. As in so furious smoke ought to be coming out of his ears.

As he was walking briskly through the darkened streets on Sunnydale, he was pretty sure that if he could see himself in a mirror, smoke would actually rise from his ears.

The Scoobies were at the movies, Faith having joined them, Giles was incommunicado, and Spike was somewhere doing unthinkable things to his Slayer. Well, things _he_ certainly did not want to think about.

He knew he had no right to interfere. He had pretty much said so. Especially if his intuition was right and Buffy was actually Spike's mate. But still! There was still evil afoot! Vampires to slay! _Evil_ vampires! Why did _he_ have to patrol? The world had three Slayers now! Why was he needed to…

He stopped.

The world had three slayers…

Three mighty protectors would now be replacing him! He was suddenly certain that as soon as the next maybe-apocalypse would be dealt with, Faith and Gayle would leave to roam the world while Buffy kept an eye on the Hellmouth! Or maybe they'd take turns! He wasn't needed anymore!

"Oh my Go – "

His body seized up as a powerful electrical current suddenly ran through it. About two seconds later he had lost consciousness.

A large shadow loomed over him, his thumb still poised on the taser button. Its owner smiled and spoke with a deep southern accent: "God doesn't answer to the likes of you, abomination. However, you may answer to me when you wake up…"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

The next morning, Gayle was adding some berries to Dawn's breakfast bowl when Buffy came into the house, obviously trying to be stealthy and failing miserably.

"Ahem, morning all" said the blonde, managing to maintain her serious demeanor.

"Morning, Buffy" said Gayle, barely containing a grin. "Rocking the bed hair, I see. Or should I say crypt hair?"

Buffy's hands flew to her hair. Yep, it was a mess. And she had just crossed town in that state…

Dawn came to the rescue. "Don't listen to her, Buffy, you look hot as ever. If only a little… ravished!"

"Dawn! Language!" gasped Buffy.

"Just how was that bad language?"

"It-it-it just was, okay?"

"Shyeah, whatever. And to think I was trying to be nice…"

Gayle snickered and pushed Dawn's bowl in front of her. As Buffy was taking off her jacket, the brunette noticed something was off, but what –

Nooo? She couldn't… could she?

Innocently, Gayle dropped a towel on the kitchen floor. "Oh, rats. Buffy, darling, could you pick that up for me, please?"

Buffy obliged, briefly wondering why the other slayer couldn't pick up the cloth herself, but then a shriek made her bolt upright.

"BUFFY ANNE SUMMERS! YOU'RE NOT WEARING ANY UNDERWEAR!"

The blonde slayer gasped, imitated by her sister. "W-what? How –"

"No panty line under that skirt when you bent down! Oooh, naughty!"

_Damn damn damn!_ There was a very good explanation to Buffy's absence of undergarment. Right now, they were splayed on a pillow on Spike's bed, waiting for him to wake up. She had even rubbed herself with the skimpy material so it would smell of her… She knew Spike would appreciate the gesture… "Erm, I… forgot? To put some on?"

"Nope, try another one."

"Laundry day?"

"I do your laundry! You've got plenty of clean undies!"

"Easier high-kicks?"

"Oh, it's easier something alright…"

"Gayle!"

"… maybe access…"

"GAYLE!"

Dawn clasped her hands to her ears. "Mama! Impressionable teenager here!"

"Oh, please! Only when it suits you!"

"Well, it suits me right now!"

"Guys?" Buffy interrupted. "Could we, like, drop the subject of my MIA panties right now? Mama, I'd love you even more than usual if there's fresh coffee in it for me…"

"Who could resist a declaration like that?" Gayle sighed, and went to pour fresh coffee into a clean mug. "Dawn, the paper should have arrived by now, could you go get it, please?"

"Sure, Mama, would you like me to sweep the porch while I'm at it?" she replied sarcastically.

"What a sweetie you are! Broom's in the closet."

Dawn stared at the brunette, then threw her arms in the air in defeat as she made her way to the porch.

Buffy smiled widely, and made a whipping sound. "Go, Gayle! You succeeded where I always failed!"

"What can I say? I'm awesome."

"So what are your plans on this fine-looking Saturday?"

"I'm taking Faith shopping this afternoon at the mall. The girl badly needs fashion rescue services…"

"Tell me about it! Can you say skanky?"

"I can, unfortunately. But it's nothing me and my good friend Platinum Card can't overcome. No way I'm gonna let one of my girls in such dire need of style therapy! Plus I need something to wear at Willow and Tara's housewarming party next week…"

"Oooh, pick something for me too, please. I supposed Dawn will be tagging along?"

"Oh, no, no, no. Willow's coming later to take her to the library to tutor her in Math. I'm not letting that D pass…"

"Dawn got a D in Math?"

"I know! And get this: she tried to make it pass as her initial! Why d'you think she's on cleaning duty?"

Dawn came back with Gayle's paper and nearly threw it on the kitchen island. "Dere ya go, Miss Sca'lett. Anything else ya need, Miss Sca'lett?"

"How's that porch coming, Dawn minus?"

"It was a D minus?"

The teen made a face, then left again to retrieve the broom. "How long am I cursed for, by the way?"

"How long d'you think you can turn that D into an A?"

"Buffy, help me out here!"

The blonde cupped her ear. "Err, excuse-me? Did I hear that right? You're asking _me_ for help? When I've been pestering you for the past year and a half about your grades? Is that what's happening here?"

Dawn groaned, letting her shoulders slump, and looked back at Gayle. "What do you need me to do afterwards, bwana?"

Gayle looked at Buffy. "Any suggestions?"

Buffy beamed. _Gosh, I love that woman!_ "Mmh, the bathroom could use a good scrubbing."

"I hate you both so damn much it's not even funny!" the teen stomped upstairs.

"Talking of not funny" Gayle started, "I'm sorry to tell you, Mr Deliciousness has left the building."

"Angel left? Why?"

"Didn't say. Last I saw him, he said he was going to patrol. He didn't seem to like the idea of me taking the gang, including Faith, to the pictures while you were… erm…"

"I get it, I get it. I was shunning my duties and the rest of you dared to have a good time. Typical Angel, really. Probably already back in L.A. and sulking."

Gayle wiggled her eyebrows. "Your hair tells me we weren't the only ones having a good time…"

Buffy bit her lower lip mischievously. _Shall I tell her? Who else can I have an actual sex-related conversation with? Willow? She'd turn purple… Dawn? Waaaaay too young, maybe next year… Faith? Probably, but she's sleeping…_

"Actually… we didn't do anything."

Gayle put her mug aside, and scooted forward, very business-like. "Do tell."

"Well… after the whole 'coming out' thing last night, I went to his crypt…"

"I had already gathered that much."

"I wasn't a happy Buffy, you've probably noticed that too."

Gayle almost growled, and took Buffy's hand. "Don't let that idiot Giles get to you, darling. He's just frustrated 'cos he's not getting any."

"Neither are you, and you're not giving me a hard time!"

"Thanks for reminding me. Back to the topic please?"

Buffy smirked. "So it's okay to talk about my sex life but never yours?"

"Because mine is non-existent, however hard I try. So I'm living mine through yours. So you went to his crypt, then…?"

"Sorry, no tasty details today. I was just… real down, and I needed him like badly, but not necessarily… that way. I just needed him… close. He just held me."

"All night?"

A tender smile floated on the blonde slayer's lips. "Yeah. We fell asleep like that, just in each other's arms."

Gayle made a typical 'awww' face. "You two can be so romantic, it's sickening."

"I know. Still love me?"

"Unfortunately."

"Hey, look at it this way: since I'm giving you all the details, you're technically getting more action than Giles!"

"Well, thank Gucci for that! The day Mr Stick-Up-My-Pants gets more than me, I'll just shoot myself in the bathtub."

"Why the bath… oh, because it'd be easier to clean up afterward, right?"

"You so get me! More coffee?"

Buffy nodded enthusiastically, and Gayle went to fill her mug. Once she was seated once more, she took the newspaper and stared at the front page.

"Erm, Buffy? What's Giles' address again?"

"Vista Hermosa Road, why?"

Gayle just showed her the headline.

_Massive explosion at apartment complex…_

The picture was that of Giles' building, engulfed in flames.

A lump formed in Buffy's throat. In a flash, she had grabbed her cell phone and speed-dialed Giles' own cell.

_I am the captain of the Pinafore / And a right good captain too…_ The music was coming from the front porch.

Retrieving stakes from their coats near the front door, the Slayers assumed combat positions. Buffy put her hand on the doorknob. The music was still playing on the other side. She looked at Gayle, who nodded, and abruptly opened the door…

"Oh, good morning, Buffy. Do you know how this infernal contraption works?"

Giles was standing there, dressed in the same clothes she had last seen him in, holding his phone and obviously trying to switch off his cell. "Say, why do you two have stakes? It's daylight."

"We saw the headlines! Gosh, Giles I'm so glad you're okay!"

Buffy moved forward to give him a hug, but Gayle stopped her: "Wait! Giles could very well have died in the explosion, how do we know this is the real one? There's plenty of shape-shifters about!"

"You're an obnoxious annoying little tart" said Giles in a very matter-of-fact tone.

"Whaddya know? It is Giles! Nice ring tone, Pointdexter."

"… Dawn got to my phone too…"

"Riiight."

Buffy rolled her eyes and raised her hand. "Okay, kiddies, stop arguing and play nice or no dessert!"

Both shot her an incredulous look.

"Well it works when she says that!" the blonde justified while indicating Gayle. "Come in Giles. Do you want some coffee? Gayle made a fresh pot…"

Gayle grunted, and reached out for Giles' phone. She switched off the ring tone, handed it back to its owner and left for the kitchen.

Buffy turned her attention back to Giles. "Are you okay? We saw the pictures, how did you get out?"

"By some extraordinary coincidence, I was not in my apartment at the time of the explosion and… Good Lord, what happened to your hair?"

Buffy tried to smooth it down. "Nothing. So where were you?"

"At a bar. Can we sit down?"

Buffy nodded and led him to the couch. As they sat down, Gayle brought in a mug of hot coffee and deposited on the table then promptly left, without ever looking at Giles. Giles took a sip of it.

"This actually very good coffee…"

"Of course it is!" shouted Gayle from the kitchen. "Why would it not be?"

Giles was slightly surprised she could have heard him, but shouted back immediately: "I was paying you a compliment, you daft girl!"

"Kiss my –"

"Stop it!" Buffy said. "I can be Mumsy Buffy too! Behave, both of you, or go to your rooms!"

Giles grumbled something like "she started it". Gayle was not heard again.

Buffy turned back to her Watcher. "You were saying?"

"That after a few drinks, I walked home, as I was in no state to drive, and found the complex on fire! A nice chap from the fire department informed me there had been an explosion in one of the lower apartments, they're not sure which one yet… So I made my way to the nearest motel and spent the night there."

"Well thank God you're okay!"

"I'm quite glad you think so, Buffy, for I am here to request sanctuary." Buffy gave him a blank look. "I mean, would it be alright for me to stay here for a few days, just the time for the insurance to do the repairs?"

"Of course, you can! Stay as long as you need! … Why were you at a bar?"

"Well, I do believe that is the place to go to when one wishes to obtain alcoholic beverages. Any more silly questions?"

"Okay, let me ask it another way: why were you suddenly overcome with the need to get drunk?"

Giles sighed and put his mug down. "Buffy, dear… you have to understand: news such as yours last night, regarding your… your… erm…"

"Relationship?"

"Dear Lord, I really wish you wouldn't use that word… but yes, if we must employ it. But please realize this: a Slayer and a vampire… this is against everything I've ever been taught! You and Angel was already a lot to take in back in the day, and we all know how well that turned out…"

"Giles!"

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth, although I do recognize that you hardly had any responsibility in the matter… However, I was rather upset when I got home… I even called the Council to inform them…"

Buffy's blood suddenly froze and her mouth went dry. She stood up, staring at her Watcher. "Giles… please tell me you didn't…"

"I'm rather afraid I did…"

Anger quickly replaced fear. "Giles! I can't believe you would unleash that pack of rabid dogs on us! I could so totally kill you!"

Gayle came running in with her faithful axe in hand. "Ooh, me first, me first!"

Buffy held out her hand to stop her. "Down, Cujo!"

"But you just said…"

"Just wait for a second! Giles, give just one reason not to unleash her on you!"

Gayle raised her axe again…

"I called the Council… but hung up at the second the secretary answered."

A beat. Gayle asked almost timidly: "Does that count?"

"Why did you do that?" the blonde asked, puzzled.

Giles sighed even deeper than before. "Buffy… you're one of the most successful Slayers ever recorded… You're of a responsible age, in a full-time job and in charge of a, erm, rather 'colorful' family. You've made some disputable decisions in the past, but so far it's worked quite well for you. You are no longer a child, nor technically my charge. You are a very intelligent and caring young woman… and I should respect your decisions. Even if I don't always agree with them. It's your life, Buffy, I have no right to interfere."

Buffy gave him a soft smile and turned to Gayle. "Giles is going to stay with us for a few days."

Gayle gasped in outrage. "He can't! We're out of beds!"

"There's the sofa, or you said Angel left, right? That means there's a free cot in the basement near Faith's!"

"… what has the poor girl done to you to deserve that?"

At that moment, the door to the basement opened, and Faith appeared, yawning and extending her arms in the air in one luxurious stretch.

"Mornin', ya'all. Hey, B, love the sex hair."

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

The house was empty. Well almost.

Willow and Dawn were at the library, Giles at the Magic Box, Gayle and Faith at the mall… Buffy was alone.

And liking it too… the quiet, the peace, the absence of crazyness… she could get used to this!

_Maybe I'll take a looooong bubbly bath. Or I'll put on a rom-com. Maybe just watch Oprah…_

She was still considering her options, when the kitchen door opened suddenly to let in a smoking blanket.

Buffy sighed, but couldn't suppress a smile. "My boyfriend. Always choosing the most flammable time of day to come and visit."

Spike shrugged the blanket off and straightened his clothing. He looked at his lover and smiled back. "What can I tell you, baby? You set me on fire already, sun's got nothing on you. And, 'boyfriend'?"

"Well… yeah…" Buffy stuttered a bit, afraid she's said something wrong…

But Spike was still grinning. "Tha's nice, that is." He closed the distance between them and crushed his lips to hers.

For a moment, Buffy was only too happy to lose herself in the kiss, but soon it grew more and more passionate as Spike's hands started to migrate south… and there were things that needed to be said…

"Hold on, hold on!" she managed to say between kisses.

Spike grunted, but stopped nonetheless. He kept her tightly to him though, resting his forehead against hers and waited for her to speak.

"You know… last night was just… beautiful."

He nodded softly. "It was at that, pet."

"D'you think we could… like… have more of that?"

Spike smiled tenderly. "Of course, love. Whatever you want, anytime you want. And to tell you the truth, last night was..." His head tilted backwards, and he let out a deep sigh, looking for a way to translate his thoughts into words before he looked at her again. "... I've lived for soddin' ever, Buffy. I've done everything. I've done things with you I can't spell... but I've never been close... to anyone. Least of all you. Until last night. All I did was hold you, watch you sleep... nearly the best night of my life. The actual best being when you told me you love me."

Boy, when this guy was turning on the mush, it always came out as true poetry. _Bloody awful poet, my ass!_ Buffy was certain she was going to cry. How far had they come since that dreadful night when he had almost... How close to destruction they had been brought by despair…

She grabbed him by the back of his head and brought him down in an intense kiss, which he was only too happy to return. It soon turned heated.

"Pet, I thought you wanted to talk…" said the vampire, briefly breaking the kiss.

"What? I can't change my mind? I'm a woman, it's my God-given right!"

He chuckled warmly. "What my lady wants, my lady gets." He scooped her up and carried her upstairs.

Once in her bedroom, he dropped her quite unceremoniously on the bed. She fell face first and squealed in delight, only to see Spike retreating into the hallway, leaving a light mist behind him.

"Curtains! Curtains!" he called out from his hiding place.

Buffy jumped from her bed and quickly closed the drapes. The material was thick enough not to let any dangerous rays through, thank goodness. "All safe! You can come in now!"

The vampire poked his head inside the room, and she sighed in relief to see he was unharmed.

Spike entered, grinning again. "Wouldn't call it 'safe', luv." His heavy coat fell to the floor. "Big Bad's in here now…"

She gave him a falsely coy smile. "Then why isn't he _in me_ right now?"

He growled and pounced. Soon her clothes were a thing of the past. She only managed to tug his t-shirt off before he grabbed her under the buttocks and lifted her on to the bed once again, where he joined her. Before she could readjust her position, Spike had again seized her luscious behind and lifted it to his face.

Buffy gasped, but her lover just smiled down at her. "Not to fret, my love, it's all part of the plan. I wanna see and taste every glorious inch of you…" And he clasped his mouth over her moist pussy.

She cried out and arched her back. Spike's tongue lapped and swirled between her nether lips, skillfully alternating between fast and slow. He then latched onto her clit, and started to suck on it. She almost screamed in rapture, panting, thrashing, thrusting her hips towards his face, desperately seeking more of that delicious torture.

Grinning from ear to ear, Spike gave the little nub a few parting licks and nips, and Buffy was this close to slapping him in frustration when he delicately put her down. She looked at him. The grin had gone, replaced by all the tenderness in the world.

Spike unbuckled his belt and slid his jeans off. As soon as he was naked, his beautiful lover wrapped her legs around his waist, and he grinned. He loved feeling the softness of her skin around him, surrounded in her heat and love… He entered her slowly, enjoying every inch, and this time she let him.

Again, she felt that urge, that primal need to possess that body, that man, that creature on top of her. That such a unique creature should belong to her and no-one else. _Mine,_ the thought rang through her fevered mind. But she shook these feelings aside and concentrated on the moment.

Spike leaned forward, and buried his face between her breasts as he started pumping. He set out a slow rhythm, and his tongue darted out to tease a nipple. Buffy moaned and pushed her breast into his mouth. He smiled, but she didn't see that, too busy knotting her fingers in his hair to push his head against her body. At this stage, she didn't care which part. She was just craving contact, friction... God, he felt so good inside her...

Spike had lost hope of ever going to Heaven many decades before, but it no longer mattered to him, as he was certain that one second inside Buffy had to top a hundred years of bliss. This _was_ bliss in its purest form. It was perfection.

Her body shook with tremors and she involuntarily clenched around his shaft. He hissed. If she kept doing that, close as sh already was, he was sure to follow suit immediately... and he didn't want that... No yet.

So she completely took him by surprise when she grabbed him by the shoulders and flipped them, ending up straddling an astonished vampire... who was getting hornier by the second...

_Never mind, _he thought._ I'll make it last the next time... like, right after this time..._

Buffy raked her nails on her lover's torso and threw her head back with a groan of pleasure. She moved her hips up and down, and started fondling her breasts. The show was almost too much for Spike to take...

She heard the bones shift before she saw him. When her eyes met yellow ones, Spike was sure she'd run.

But she didn't.

She leaned forward and kissed him chastely on his demonic lips. Then she placed her hands on his shoulders and started riding him harder. Her breathing increased as did the rhythm of her thrusts.

Spike groaned and reached for her breasts, kneading her soft flesh and pinching her nipples ruthlessly.

Buffy cried out. How did he manage to be tender and rough at the same time and with just the perfect amount of both to drive her insane with pleasure?

The rhythm was reaching its paroxysm, and Buffy leaned towards her vampire, seeking more contact. Spike wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her close and breathing in her scent, which was near intoxicating. He met her thrusts almost violently. She was close, he could feel it, and so was he. Her moans and labored breaths were driving him wild. The feel of her on top of him, her heat, her passion, her touch, her _smell_: that of her arousal, her skin...

..._and her blood_...

… _mine..._

… _Mate..._

_MINE!_

No longer able to ignore the aching need inside him, Spike's fangs sank into her neck.

"_Mine!"_

Buffy exploded into the most powerful orgasm she'd ever known.

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

A brand new dress, some killer heels, a little detour by the hairdresser's, and Faith Lehane was a new woman. And probably in love with her self-appointed stylist Gayle. She had respected her tastes in clothes but still she looked fabulous.

The dress was short, but tastefully so, in a clinging and soft deep brown material. The shoes were simple stilettos, but with a studded tip and heel, and she was seriously considering taking them on patrol as they would give the expression "killer heels" a whole new meaning. Her hair was now a lovely shade of chocolate, all in loose waves and bangs. She felt refreshed and sexy as hell as she strutted in the mall, her arms heavy with clothes-filled bags beside a smug-looking Gayle…

… that is, until said Gayle's eyes rolled into her head and fell backwards, landing unconscious on the floor.

Faith cried out her friend's name and quickly knelt beside her. Gayle was out cold. A small crowd was now gathering around the two girls. The former rogue slayer seized her friend by the shoulders and tried to shake her awake.

"Gayle! Please Mama, talk to me! Somebody call the paramedics!"

But Gayle suddenly opened her eyes. She tried to sit up, and failed. Faith helped her up under the curious gaze of the onlookers.

"Holy shit, Mama, don't do this to me!"

"… those two aren't kidding around…"

"Huh? Who?"

"… mmm? What?"

"No, you 'what'! Are you okay?"

"… why am I on the floor? Why are people looking at me?"

"You just passed out! Scared me shitless!"

"I did? I did! Sorry, must be low blood sugar!" She stood up and waved at the shoppers. "I'm okay! Really I am! Low blood sugar! I've been neglecting my fruit an' veggies lately! Five a day, people, remember that!" The crowd slowly scattered.

"Are you sure you're okay? You really freaked me out! You looked like you just got hit by something!"

"I'm fine!"

"Really?"

"I swear! Would I lie to you? Why don't we go home now? I'll make tacos! Let's…"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

"GET OUT!"

"Buffy, my love, please, let me explain!"

"_GET OUT!"_

"Sweetheart – "

"I SAID GET OUT!"

"Buffy! I'll burn!"

"You bit me! You can dust for all I care! _GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!"_

Spike was tumbling down the stairs, naked as the day he was born, just as Willow and Dawn were coming in, and with a crying and furious Slayer in his wake, hitting him at every chance she got.

Acting purely on reflex, Willow grabbed a throw from the lounge and threw it at Spike as Dawn was opening the door to let him through. The teen then went to stop her irate sister as the witch used her magic to open the lid of the sewer entrance Spike was running to in the middle of the street.

Across the road, from his living room window, Mr Greenwood was reflecting on what he had just witnessed: a naked, literally smoking man half-covered in a blanket running out of the Summers' house and disappearing down a manhole whose lid had just lifted of its own accord… He next pondered whether he had had too much to drink or not enough, but quickly decided on the latter and headed for the liquor cabinet.

_End of Chapter Fifteen._

_**I know, another evil cliffhanger. Back to my old tricks... mwah...**_

_**Of course, Giles' ring tone is from Gilbert and Sullivan's "HMS Pinafore". I know, it's evil. Too evil to resist.**_

_**Some lines borrowed from the Season Seven episode "End of Days", written by Jane Espenson and Doug Petrie. Plot: mine. Gayle: mine. Buffy, Spike, Scoobies, and the rest: all belongs to Joss Whedon's wonderful mind, who should be worshiped like the god he is. I just need to find a good location to build a temple to his glory…**_


	16. Chapter 16 Love Hurts

Hey all! So a few of you were happy of my return (yay!), but some others seem to have disappeared. Hope they're not mad at me...

So if you're not mad at me, please read, hope you enjoy, and remember: I live for your review-shaped love...

**Chapter Sixteen – Love Hurts**

"_**Sometimes when I'm alone I wonder**_

_**Is there a spell that I am under**_

_**Keeping me from seeing the real thing**_

_**Love hurts, but sometimes it's a good hurt**_

_**And it feels like I'm alive**_

_**Love sings when it transcends the bad things**_

_**Have a heart and try me**_

_**'Cause without love I won't survive."**_

_**Incubus, "Love Hurts"**_

"Are we done here?"

Gayle gave her sister slayer a strange look. "You've never been shopping before, have you?"

"I have! Just... never quite like this, you know, like... unlimited."

"Fine, I'll have mercy on you. Night's gonna fall soon anyway. I just need to stop by the bank, then it's finished, I promise. Tell you what, you stay here and have a latte on me, okay? I won't be long."

"The bank? Wouldn't it be, like, closed at this time?"

"Mine isn't. See you in a mo'."

Faith sighed and nodded, then waived for a waiter. Gayle then left the coffee shop, and went to the bank office a block further. She went in through an empty lobby and straight to one of the glass-encased booths at the back. The panel on the door read _N. Shaye, Senior Advisor_. Behind the desk was a small man in a banker's suit, balding and wearing rimmed glasses, looking through some files. She leaned against the door frame and smiled.

"Hello Nelchael old boy..."

The little man raised his head and stared at the newcomer. Calmly, he took off his glasses, set them on the desk and stood up. He bowed his head, and spoke in a soft voice:

"Good evening, Your Highness. I have to admit I never thought I would see you again."

"And yet you don't seem so surprised to see me..."

"His Highness was here this morning. He warned me you might be paying me a visit in the next few days. I did not think it would be so soon though."

Gayle's eyes went wide. "Sam was here?", she gritted her teeth, "Of course he was... Nelly, are you shaking?"

"I am, Your Highness. We all fear your presence, and what it may imply."

"Is that why your secretary is hiding under her desk and in tears?"

A loud gasp was heard from the lobby.

"Please show mercy on her," Nelchael said. "She is but a young one."

Gayle raised an eyebrow. "You two are related?"

"My niece, Your Highness."

She nodded, then stood up in a powerful stance. "Buffy Summers. Current Slayer. Lives here in Sunnydale."

"I am aware of that fact, Your Highness."

"She's got a house. With a mortgage and all that comes with it. A few debts too. From her late mom. You know what to do."

"Yes Your Highness. His Highness told me you would probably request this of me."

"Did he now? What else did he say?"

"Not to ask questions, and do whatever you would require of me."

Gayle nodded, then turned around to leave.

"May I say, Your Highness, that the years have been kind on you."

She turned around, and graced him with one of her megawatt smiles. "Oh, Nelly, you charmer you. Of course they have."

Going through the lobby again, she knocked on the front desk. "You can come out now, darling, I'm leaving."

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Angel slowly came to. His insides were burning. Scratch that, his whole body was hurting him. His limbs, his back, his chest... and yet he felt like he was floating...

he opened his eyes. The light around him was dim, but his vampire eyes quickly adjusted. Above him, the ceiling looked rocky, was he in a cave? What was that circular pattern in the middle? Why was that guy walking on the ceiling and grinning at him?

_Wait, what?_

Angel wasn't staring at the _ceiling_, he was staring at the _floor_. His body hurt because he was tied by the wrists and ankles to some contraption hanging _from the ceiling,_ and gravity was doing the rest. He knew this sort of torture to be particularly painful and efficient for he had used it many times during his time as Angelu–

_Oh the fucking irony…_

He looked around quickly, as far as his pained neck would allow. The place sure looked like a cave. He was alone with the darkly dressed smiling man, who stood next to an intricately carved stone panel in the ground. Angel quickly recognized the carvings.

Demonic symbols.

"If I believed in that heathen concept called Karma," the newcomer started in a sickly-warm accented voice, "I'd say it's a bitch, right Angelus?"

Angel noticed the stranger's priest collar, and assumed this was a religious clean-up mission. "My name is not–"

"Yes, yes, I know you don't go by that name anymore, but frankly I don't give a rat's ass. You're here for one purpose only..."

"I am trying to atone for my sins..."

"That's very nice, but still not giving–"

"Look, Father, we're on the same side here."

To Angel's surprise, the priest burst out in a fit of laughter. To add insult to injury, the guy was actually bending in two!

"Oh, my goodness that's good! That's very good! You actually think–"

The priest stopped dead and whipped his head towards him. All trace of mirth had disappeared from his face. Angel tried follow his gaze, but whatever his captor was looking at, it was beyond his limited field of vision. He nevertheless could feel a presence there...

Caleb crossed the room to meet the suited man standing there. A few words were exchanged, and Angel closed his eyes to concentrate on his vampire hearing.

"Don't kill him yet. Spill his blood, but don't kill him."

"Why not?"

"The other vampire and the slayer are becoming more and more in tune. They could feel his death."

"So what? They'll come and we'll kill them."

"We are not ready. My Lady is not ready. Must I remind you you were supposed to kill those children? You couldn't even get the Watcher!"

"You know why I couldn't, th–"

"Just use his blood and send out a couple of our 'pets'. That should take care of the pests. We'll unleash the rest then."

"But..."

"Do as we say, Caleb. Do you wish us to be crossed with you more than we already are?"

Caleb tightened his lips together, and bowed his head. The other man vanished.

The priest then returned to Angel, producing a large knife. He smiled again, looking more like a predator than before. "Now, 'Angel', as they so wrongly call you… wanna see what a real vampire looks like?"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

It was dark when Faith and Gayle came home from their shopping trip, arms full of store bags. The former was thoroughly exhausted, the latter her usual inexhaustible bubbly self.

"Girls!" she shouted out from the foyer. "We're back, and with prezzies!"

Faith rubbed her neck, wondering how her new friend still had any energy left in her, just before she noticed Willow coming out of the kitchen with a worried look and carrying...

"Oh, my god, Gayle…"

"Just Gayle, please, or Mama. What?"

"Willow…"

"Willow what? Went evil again? She looks okay to me…"

"Worse… she has fudge!"

Gayle checked Willow's hands and gasped. In them was a tub of Double Fudge Choc Chip With Caramel Sauce ice cream.

The ultimate girls' emergency comfort food for _extremely_ bad situations.

Gayle dropped her bags and raised her horrified eyes to the witch's. "What happened?"

The witch bit her lips. "Buffy and Spike..."

The brunettes heard a sob coming from the lounge, and their heads whipped around to see Buffy seating on the couch, in tears and leaning against her sister. When she saw Gayle, she got up and ran into her arms.

"Oh, Mamaaaa..."

"Oh, darling, shhh, tell me what happened. Was the big bad vamp mean?"

"Eeeebeeeetmeeee..."

"Okay, it's bad enough for English to become an issue. Come and sit down, sweetie, tell your Mama all about it... Willow, we're gonna need spoons with that..."

As she was leading her friend back to the lounge, Giles came down the stairs. He apparently had removed Buffy's sheets from her bed. When he saw Gayle, her silently held them out for her to see. They were stained with blood.

Gayle gave him a _very _dark look. "If you dare say 'I told you so', I swear I'll slit your throat!"

The Englishman's lips tightened, and he just held her gaze as he watched them pass. Deep down, he had a feeling the girl could very well act on her threat.

As he moved to join the group of girls, Faith stopped him. "Sorry, Watcher-man, this is a man-free zone. Dontcha have some books to read or whatever?"

Giles grumbled something along the lines that they were a bunch of ingrates and that he would be at the Magic Box if he was needed. He grabbed his jacket and left the house without saying goodbye to anyone.

Faith turned around and sat on the coffee table beside Willow, facing the remaining three girls seating on the couch. The redhead was planting spoon in the ice cream tub, while Gayle was wiping Buffy's cheeks with a lacy handkerchief and Dawn was rubbing her sister's back.

"Okay, B, wanna tell us what happened?"

"Wauuuuuughh..."

"Using words, maybe?"

Buffy took Gayle's hanky and loudly blew her nose. She then gave it back to its owner, who discreetly threw it in the nearest bin.

"Spike came by this afternoon, when I was alone... We started kissing... and then..."

Willow gasped. "Oh my god! Did he try again to –"

"No! No, nothing like that... It was totally consenting... but then... then..." She broke into sobs again. Willow handed her a spoon full of ice cream, which the blonde greedily sucked on. "I must have been stupid to think he could get reformed! Stupid to think that a cruel, evil, manipulative – Faith, you have bangs!"

Faith, briefly puzzled, quickly smiled and reached for her forehead: "You like it? It was Gayle's idea…"

"Oh yeah! You look adorable!" chimed in Willow.

"Doesn't it bring out her cheekbones?" said Gayle. "Not to mention her beautiful eyes…"

"Did you get highlights?"

"Oh my goodness, look at the shoes!"

"Guys!" Surprisingly enough, the voice of reason was Dawn's. "Could we get back to the important subject, here? A.k.a., my sister getting bitten by her bloodsucking boyfriend?"

"HE WHAT?" the brunette slayers cried out.

"How do you know?" Buffy asked her sister.

"I saw the scars when I was helping you to get dressed. And the blood on the sheets. Willow didn't see it because she was on the phone with Tara. I put two and two together..."

"I'll kill him!" Faith jumped to her feet. "I swear the bastard's dust! Just tell me where he is!"

Gayle held her hand out. "Now, now, let's not be hasty..."

"Hasty? Gayle, the guy tried to drain her!"

"I'm not so sure about that..."

Four frowning sets of eyes settled on her. She ignored it. "Buffy, darling... the biting thing... did it happen before, after or during?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Trust me, it's important. When did he bite you?"

Buffy looked down, and suckled her spoon again. "During..." she mumbled.

Gayle nodded. "Okay. And did you guys, erm... have an orgasm?"

"Are you and Anya related or something?"

"Please, Buffy, just answer me..."

"YES!" the blonde jumped to her feet, in a rage. "I came, okay? I frikking came like I probably never came before! I had a happy like no other! I reached cloud nine! I..."

She stopped abruptly when she realized the other girls were staring at her, mouth agape. Even Faith looked shocked...

"Oh, dear god..." She sat back down, hiding her face in her hands. Willow took her spoon, filled it again with ice cream and gave it back. Buffy took a large bite. "You guys must think I'm such a raging ho..."

"Now now, darling, what did we say about not caring what others may think?"

"So you _do_ think I'm a raging ho?"

"Not at all. I just don't think you're a raging saint."

"Yeah, B. So you enjoy sex. What's so sinful about that?"

"It's not that! I enjoyed bitey sex! My-lover-was-trying-to-kill-me sex! That's wrong! That's... sick!"

"He wasn't trying to kill you..." Gayle continued.

"Oh, and how would you know?"

"You're still here, aren't you?"

Realization hit Buffy like a Mac truck. That was true. Spike had stopped drinking her blood only a few seconds later. He only took a few sips. If he had wanted to drain her, he had had the perfect opportunity when she was coming down from her high...

"He... it wasn't a killing bite..." All the girls except for Gayle let out a sigh of relief. "But then... why?"

"Because that's what vampires do! They bite, they fuck, they fight, and sometimes all of the above at the same time! If Anya was here, indeed, she'd tell you it's a helluva rush or something like 'it insures really great orgasms'."

"But I'm not a vampire..."

"But he is! It's his nature, Buffy, he can only suppress his natural instincts for so long! And during something as wild as sex with you – I'm only assuming here -, self-control is a bitch!"

The blonde remembered how much she had loved to lose control with her lover. How wild and free she had felt. And actually... hadn't she bitten _him_ once?

"Oh no... I did it again. I totally overreacted. Over something trivial and that didn't really hurt me. On the only basis of some sacrosanct principle. What's wrong with meeeeeee?" With that wail, she buried her head in her lap and started crying again with a vengeance.

Without a word, Willow stood up, took Buffy's spoon and went into the kitchen. She reappeared a few seconds later with a bottle of liquor and a single glass. She sat back down on the coffee table, filled the glass and handed it out to Buffy.

Buffy stared at her friend. Willow had never been one for drinking alcohol.

As if reading her friend's mind, the witch explained. "You're way beyond the point where ice cream alone is sufficient, hon."

The blonde slowly nodded, took the glass and downed its content in one big gulp. She coughed a few times, having swallowed too big a quantity of the burning liquid.

"Erm, Buffy... did Spike... say anything... possessive... when he was biting you?"

Buffy frowned. "Yeah. He growled 'mine', I think. Why?"

"Darling, vampires have this sorta ritual, called a claim. It happens most often during intercourse and it includes biting. Basically, it's like a marriage, only with a deeper, more permanent connection between the partners. It's like unbreakable."

If Buffy's eyes could have gone wider, they would have dropped out of their sockets. "Are you telling me this was some sick, stupid, twisted way of proposing to me?"

"Not to mention botched. Yeah, that's what I'm telling you."

The blonde Slayer pondered this for a second. "So, what, am I married now?"

"I don't think so. Did you drink his blood too?"

"Oh, Gayle, eww!"

"Oh, stop being such a prude. Did you or did you not?"

"No!"

"Then you're still single. Relax. Willow, can I have some of that?" The brunette pointed at the bottle of liquor. Willow nodded and gave it to her, and Gayle drank directly from the bottle.

Buffy was horrified. "My boyfriend proposed... and I threw him out in the suuuuuuun!" Gayle held her in her arms until she calm down, which took a while, but she got there eventually. "Spike must hate me now..."

She was expecting someone, anyone, to say "of course not", but all she got was silence.

Dawn spoke first. "Maybe 'hate' is a bit strong... I don't think he's a very happy bunny though..."

Gayle stood up. "Tell you what. You're gonna get up, go upstairs and freshen up a little. Then get some rest and maybe go see him tomorrow. I'll patrol for you tonight. Since most baddies seem to have left the area, it should be a breeze. Okay?"

Buffy sniffled and nodded, then made her way upstairs. Gayle went back to the foyer, followed by Faith.

"Do you need me to come with you?"

"Nah, thanks sweetie, I'll be okay" replied the girl as she was putting on her jacket.

"You sure? You weren't feeling so hot earlier…"

"Mmmh? Oh, the fainty thing, yeah, much better now. Right as rain."

"You fainted?" Dawn exclaimed from the lounge. "How come?"

"Low blood sugar. Don't let me catch you doing the same, go eat an apple."

Dawn frowned and left the two slayers alone.

Faith turned back to the other brunette. "You're not really going to patrol, are you?"

"Nope."

"Honestly, G! Why do you keep on fixing them?"

Gayle sighed deeply as she made her way through the door. "God, I truly wish I had an answer for that one!"

Faith was going to join Dawn and Willow when a wail came from upstairs.

"Oh, no! As if my day couldn't get any worse!"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Spike was sitting on the upper level of his crypt in his comfy chair, a bottle in his hand, and the _Clash on Broadway_ album playing loudly in the background. He kept on replaying the afternoon's events in his mind, trying to make sense of them...

It had felt so damn _right_ to claim Buffy. He had thought about claiming Drusilla when they were together, but it had felt more like a formality. With Buffy, it seemed like an evidence. But even an evidence needs to be thought upon, and he'd just gone a bit her. Made a right mess of things. Just when everything was going along so well. Close to perfection. Well, not counting the usual impending apocalypse, of course, but he had grown used to it by now... But the look in her eyes when she had thrown him out...

When he had tasted her blood... Damn, it had felt so... different. Delicious, sure, like the finest ambrosia, but not just that. Like something, somewhere, was clicking. Could it mean that...?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his front door crashing, due to its sudden contact with a boot connected to the leg of a very angry dark-haired slayer.

"You stupid idiotic undead bastard!"

"Oi! You're paying for that door!"

"You tried to _claim_ her?"

"… no? Maybe?"

"She thought you were trying to drain her!"

"What? Why would she think that?"

"… 'cos you had your fangs in her throat? And you drank her blood? And you're a vampire? And she's got major betrayal issues with that? Shall I go on?"

"But I could never…"

… _What? Hurt her? Hurt her again? Hurt her worse that you already did when you tried to… oh, __bleedin' soddin' hell._

Spike took his head in his hands. Now he'd done it. He had had a good thing going, the best in both his life and unlife, and he's thrown it all away…

"Chirpy, you have to believe me..."

"I know you didn't mean to, you loggerhead, but you could have gone easy on her! She didn't know about claims, what was she supposed to think?"

The vampire felt like the biggest fool in the world. "She… upset much?"

Gayle winced. "There was fudge."

"Oh bloody hell…"

"Yup."

Gayle went to sit on the chair's armrest, almost cuddling against Spike, and he welcomed the attention.

"You know it was a claim bite?" he asked, and Gayle nodded. "It just happened, I just… had to…"

"Yeah, yeah, spur of the moment, I get it. I really do. But… wait a minute!" She seemed to remember something. "It wasn't just any claim, was it?"

Spike let out a deep sigh. "No, pet. It wasn't."

The brunette swallowed hard. "Was it… oh my gosh, a _mating_ claim? Is she your _mate_?"

A beat. Spike stared at his friend, one of the rare beings he considered as such.

"Every fiber of my body tells me so" he replied in a weary voice.

She stared at him blankly for a moment…

… then started to hit him on his back and arms repeatedly. And yelling.

"_Stupid stupid stupid MORON!"_

Spike tried his best to parry the blows. "Ouch! Stop it! What's your problem?"

"Most guys, when faced with the proposal of eternal unbreakable nearly-cosmic bond to their everlasting beloved? They'd do it with flowers, or candle light, or even a ring! You're even worse than I thought!"

"Yeah, we've already established that, I'm a twat! Stop hitting me!"

She did, then growled and started to pace the whole length of the crypt. "Gosh, damnit, fuck… this is actually serious stuff… what are we gonna do?"

Spike frowned. "'We'?"

Gayle seemed to be lost for a second, but quickly recovered. "Yes, 'we'! Because I fix you guys, that's what I do! Haven't you got the message yet? I've only done it like a billion times!"

"Yeah, I get that, but why do you keep on doing it? Why is it so important to you?"

Gayle remained silent for a moment, then let out a deep sigh and sat down next to him. "I honestly have no idea. I should have given up by now, if I had any sense. I just… care too much, maybe. You guys have a good thing going, really good. It's not that common in those circumstances. Scratch that, it's unheard of. Rare things are to be treasured. I'd hate to see a good love story go to waste."

He chuckled. "You're a hopeless romantic, you realize that?"

The girl smiled. "Takes one to know one."

She wrapped an arm around his neck to comfort him, and he let her.

"Alrigh', then, Chirp'. What are 'we' gonna do? Cos, I have to admit, I ain't seein' it..."

Hey hey, cheer up... _Don't be afraid... You were made toooo go out and get h-e-e-e-r..._"

The vampire laughed out loud and joined in the song. "_The minute you let her under your skin / Then you begin / To make it better / Better, better, better, AAAAAAAh!_"

The couple began to laugh uncontrollably, and pulled each other into a tight hug. Spike honestly couldn't remember when he had last felt this accepted and welcomed into a friendship. It was incredibly refreshing. "Oooh, that feels good!"

"See? Nothing it ever as bad as it seems, kid, trust me on that..."

Spike snorted at what he thought was a slip of the tongue. "'Kid'? How old are you and who d'ya think you're talking to, you daft cow?"

"To a childish vamp with age issues, apparently. And you should never ask a lady her age."

"So how old are y–"

"... and I should warn that any comment or innuendo about the probable unladyness of me would inevitably result in me punching you in the gut so hard, my fist would probably come out through your spine. You were saying?"

The vampire chuckled again. He liked the girl's wit, even when it was threatening...

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments. Then Spike's eyebrow rose.

"Luv… how d'you know about mating claims?"

Gayle looked like she was looking for an answer when a throat clearing was heard.

Buffy was standing in the doorway, next to the remains of the door.

Gayle quickly stood up and stepped and stepped away from the vampire. "Don't be mad! Look, hands off!"

Buffy nodded, but didn't reply.

The brunette came closer to her, looking worried. "You sure you're up for this? Maybe you should sleep on this..."

"I'm okay. Could you leave us, please?"

The tone was courteous, but firm. Gayle nodded, and turned back to Spike. "Remember... You have found her, so go and get he-e-er." Buffy shot her a look. "I'm gone." With that she disappeared.

Once they were alone, Buffy took a few steps towards her lover: "You know why I think she always needs to fix us? I'm thinking it's because her relationship went to hell, and since then she just has this intense need to – why are you frowning at me?"

He was. He did not seem at all pleased to see her. A few seconds passed before he answered.

"I'm hurt."

"… _you_'re hurt? I'm the one with the holes in my neck!"

"I mean… Love, do you remember the night… the night before I left?"

Buffy winced. "I don't want to talk about – "

"Well I bloody well do!"

She jumped at his harsh tone. But when she saw the pain in his eyes, she decided to listen.

Spike swallowed and continued. "Do you remember what you said to me?"

She shook her head no. It was a lie. She remembered every word.

"Amongst other things, you said you could never trust me enough to love me. A few seconds later, I proved that I was indeed unworthy of you. But months later, you tell me you love me. I reach cloud nine, I think we've moved on, that everything is possible… but then I lose control and in a moment of passion, I bite you. I'm truly sorry I caused you pain, Buffy, but you've been around vampires long enough to know that a bite is not always fatal! But you thought I was going to kill you, so that makes me think maybe you still don't trust me, and if you don't trust me… how can you really love me?"

Buffy managed to talk through the lump in her throat. "I didn't. Think you were going to kill me, I mean."

"Chirpy said you did."

"… I might have phrased it so she would think I did but… I know you wouldn't harm me, Spike."

"Then… what?"

She felt the tears coming up. It took a lot to keep them in.

"I thought… you were trying to kill me, yes, but in the sense that… you were gonna… turn me."

Spike's jaw dropped. "Buffy… my sweet love… I'll admit that the idea of keeping you by my side for eternity has a certain delightful appeal, but… I could never do something like that to you… I know you'd hate it. I know you'd hate being like m–"

She put her small hand against his lips, silencing him.

"The thing is…" she said in a small voice, "I'm not sure… I would have stopped you…"

The vampire was at a loss for words. She, Buffy Summers, Vampire Slayer, the bravest and most beautiful woman he'd ever known, would be willing to sacrifice her life a third time, just to be reborn as his Childe? It had to be a dream, and a sick one at that...

"That's what scared me most", the girl continued. "I mean, don't get me wrong, becoming a vampire is nowhere near a comely prospect for me... I really don't wanna. But... when you bit me, and I was faced with that possibility... Well, it didn't seem that bad. To be able to stay with you... with no-one judging us... forever..." The tears were slowly showing as he voice became strangled. "And it scared me that the one thing I was supposed to fight–"

Spike nearly ran to her and wrapped his strong arms around her. She was fully crying now. "Hush, my love, my darling, sweet love... Don't cry...

I'm sorry! I do trust you, I do! It's me I don't trust! I don't know what I'm capable of, and I just projected my fears onto you, and it's so unfair–"

He silenced her with a kiss. She relaxed, and he pressed his forehead against hers.

"Buffy, I love you. Nothing else matters. I'm sorry I bit you. I did it in the heat of passion. I can't honestly say I regret it, but I'll control myself from now on, I swear."

The slayer sniffled. "Weeeell, if you must, you must..."

"Huh?"

"Look, I'll be honest with you: I... enjoyed it. I mean, I'm not quite ready to do it again, but I wouldn't be against the idea of one day... maybe... soon..."

The vampire thought about this, then decided to take the plunge. "Since we are being honest, my love… it was more than just a bite…"

"I know."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "You wha'?"

"Gayle told me about it."

_Of course she would've._ "And just what did good ol' Chirpy have to say?"

"You tried to shotgun-marry me."

The vampire made a face. "Cor, pet, it wasn't like that…"

"You started a mystical vampire ritual that would tie us together forever without asking me first. How would _you_ call it?"

Spike opened his mouth to protest, but then remembered a certain event… "Actually pet, if you'll recall, I did ask you…" he said with a smirk.

"Huh? When?"

"Three years ago."

Buffy frowned, but quickly caught on. Willow's spell. She couldn't help but smiling. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"Did it all by the book. Down on one knee, with a ring an' all… and since I never got the bloody thing back, we never properly broke it off either, so we're technically still engaged."

"Oooh, Giles is gonna love that."

They laughed wholeheartedly, and it felt so good after the day's tension. Unconsciously, she leaned into his arms. He held her close and burried his nose in her hair..

After a moment, Buffy spoke. "So this claim thingy… it goes away after a while, then?"

Spike nodded. "You never claimed me back, so yeah, s'not permanent."

"Ah... okay." She seemed almost disapointed.

"Pet, if I may say something... You haven't spoken once about being against the idea."

"What idea? The claim idea?"

"Bein' engaged to me."

Buffy bit her lip. "You know... I kinda gave up on the whole picket fence thing when I was called, so... It's gonna take me a while to accept that possibility back into my life."

"So it's a maybe?"

"It's not a no."

"Good enough for me." He crushed his lips to hers, and she welcomed him back inside her mouth. He was right. Nothing else mattered...

When she felt his kiss grow more passionate, she pulled back. "Mmh, no baby, not tonight."

The eyebrow rose again. "Why not?"

"It's, erm, my time of the month..."

The vampire's eyes went wide. He could have sworn he's heard a choir of angels...

Seeing the change on her lover's face, Buffy shook her head, barely managing to suppress a smile: "Oh, no no no no..."

Spike licked his lips...

"Dream on, Mister!"

… and pounced.

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Outside the crypt, just a few paces away and listening to the lovers' joyful noises, Gayle was sitting on a tombstone in her usual relaxed manner.

"My love story went to hell, huh?"

She dug inside her pockets for her smoking necessities. She placed a cigarette between her lips and flicked her lighter once. Then twice. Damn it, it was empty.

She threw to the ground like a used tissue. After a moment, she looked around the cemetery very carefully. Empty too.

She brought her hand closer to her face and rubbed her fingers quickly together. A small blue flame appeared from her fingertips. She used it to light the cigarette, then made it disappear with a wave of her hand. She inhaled deeply, and slowly exhaled the smoke before rising.

"You have no idea how right you are."

_End of chapter sixteen._

_**Some lines borrowed from the Season Seven episode "Never Leave Me", written by Drew Goddard. Nelchael is sorta borrowed from Glen Duncan, another writer who kicks major globes...**_

_**Some of you might wonder after this chapter if Spike is going to turn Buffy... Not in this fic. I just wanted to illustrate how love can sometimes twist one's vision of the world. I'm just a sad ol' romantic... **_

_**PLEEEAAASE leave some reviews! I'm so hungry for them! Please please please please please!**_


	17. Chapter 17 All Along The Watchtower

_**One word: sorry. Sorry for the long wait, my dear readers. I had not forgotten you, and I swear I will finish this story. But things have been a bit hectic recently. Turns out I have to move, so I'm knee deep in cardboard boxes... So the wait between chapters might be longer now, I just hope you'll understand. It's not just any move: I'm moving to the UK. Yep. Anyone living there? Ooh, and is anyone going to the Starfury convention in London this September? James and Juliet are gonna be there...**_

_**A shorter chapter than the last few, but packed with info... Enjoy!**_

**Chapter Seventeen – All Along The Watchtower**

_**There are many here among us**_

_**Who feel that life is but a joke**_

_**But you and I, we've been through that**_

_**And this is not our fate**_

_**So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late**_

_**[…] Outside in the cold distance**_

_**A wildcat did growl**_

_**Two riders were approaching**_

_**And the wind began to howl**_

_**Jimi Hendrix, "All Along The Watchtower"**_

"It's not working. I knew I should have bled him out" said Caleb.

"No, it is working. I can feel it. It's just slow. Probably because he has a soul."

"Or because we're not using the right vampire. If you had let me take the other one..."

"No! Too dangerous, I told you before. I am not ready. And I don't like your tone nor your attitude."

"It is not you I have sworn fealty to."

"Maybe not, but my beloved would be angry if did not address me with the proper respect. Do you wish my beloved to be angry with you? More than he already is?"

Caleb growled. "No."

"No, who?"

"No... Your Highness."

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

Buffy had just finished her reports for the day and was pulling her jacket on when the school bell rang.

"Right on time. Damn, I'm good."

"Well that's something I like to hear."

Buffy turned around. Gayle was leaning against the door frame of her office, her usual ten thousand volt smile gracing her face.

Buffy smiled back automatically. There was something about Gayle Masterson that just immediately made her feel at home. "Me too. You came to walk us home?"

"No and no. Dawn's already gone to a friend's house for tutoring, and she's gonna stay there for dinner. I came to drive you to the Magic Box."

"Huh? 'Drive'?"

"That's right, sugar. Meesa got me a new set of shiny wheels, and they need showing off."

"And why the Magic Box?"

"His Royal Pain has called for a meeting. He's finally decided his translation is good enough."

Buffy's jaw fell. She had completely forgotten about the stone slab that had cost Drusilla her life. Strangely, she no longer felt jealous of the vampiress. How could she be angry at someone for loving Spike? _Whoah, Buffy, careful: you're on the slippery slope to adulthood..._

"Giles finished? So what does it say?"

Gayle gave her a look.

"Oh, will you two grow up!" Buffy exclaimed.

"What? It's not my fault the dude's acting like an idiot and not sharing! That's why he's called for a meeting! To show off his almighty knowledge and research skills!"

"Gayle, be reasonable; Giles does research, it's what he does!"

"Big know-it-all..."

"Don't make me wave my finger at you!"

"Grrr."

Buffy laughed wholeheartedly and followed Gayle out of the school. A shiny black Italian coupe was waiting for them on the curb.

"Oh, wow! Mama, it's beautiful!"

"Isn't it?" Gayle beamed. "And the engine's a pure marvel: 4244 cc that develops 390 PS at 7000 rpm with a peak torque of 450..."

It was Buffy's turn to give her friend a look.

"It goes fast and it moves nice. See how fast _I_ can translate? Oooh, by the way, how did things go last night with Luuurver Boy?"

The blonde blushed slightly when the events of last night replayed through her mind. "We're definitely back on the luuurve train!"

"Oh, darling, mazeltov!"

"You're Jewish, now?"

"One of my brothers was, it kinda rubs off..."

"You never talk about your brothers! Tell me about them!"

"No, I'd really rather not."

"But I want to know more about you! I'm actually asking now, I'm making an effort!"

"And I appreciate it, but I'm not keen on talking about my brothers..."

"How many have you got?"

"Too many. That's all I'll say."

"Do you have a favorite one?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Which one I want to piss off. Get in already!"

Buffy gave up and entered the car. As Gayle was going around it to reach the driver's seat, Principal Robin Woods came out of the building. His heart nearly stopped when he saw the brunette Slayer from afar.

"Mama Chris?" he gasped and ran to the car. Unfortunately, by the time he reached the curb, they had already thundered away. Robin stayed there for a moment, then decided the whole event must have been a trick of the light and started to make his way to his own vehicle.

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

"Right, I'm glad you could all be here..."

"Giles! Spike's not here yet!"

"Oh, dear, what a shame" he deadpanned. "That darned sun being still up, I'm afraid we'll have to start without hi–" he was interrupted by the shop's doorbell, announcing the smoking blanket and its occupant "– Damn."

Spike shook off the blanket. "Oi, Watcher! You weren't going to start without me, were you?" the vampire chuckled while Buffy ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Perish the thought. Now if you don't min– Oh, and the kissing begins..." he despaired as the two locked lips in a passionate embrace.

Gayle sniggered. "Whatsamatta, Watcher? Feeling left out?"

"Have I mentioned lately how much I don't like you?"

"Please! Tell me again! It makes me feel all warm inside."

"Kiddies!" growled Willow. "Play nice or no dessert!"

The two made faces at each other, but otherwise kept quiet.

"Hey!" Buffy noticed. "How come it works when _she_ does that?"

"Former villain privileges. Now last calls for romantic assaults!" She bent down and firmly kissed Tara on the mouth. Xander quickly followed suit and kissed Anya ravenously. That only left Gayle and Faith...

"Dunno about Giles, but _I_'m feeling left out..." said the latter.

"I know just how you feel, girl. But don't get any ideas." All the males and the lesbians stopped in their tracks to look at her. "And don't _you_ boys get any ideas! Girls, for shame!"

"WHEN YOU'VE ALL QUITE FINISHED!"

Everyone went quiet at Giles' outburst.

"Thank you. Now, if one or several of you superbeings could retrieve the slab from the back room, I would be very grateful." Spike and Buffy started towards said room, but Giles stopped them. "Preferably not you, I'm rather afraid of what leaving you two in a separate room might lead to. Faith, Miss Masterson, if you'd be so kind..."

Once the Rosettagon was carefully laid on the table, Giles took his notebook. "Right, as I have mentioned before, the text is the same in all the different parts of the artifact. We have several ancient human languages, and two demonic ones still in use, but rare. I had also informed you that this part" he pointed at the slice written in the language exclusively made of circles and lines, "was completely unknown to me. However, after considerable research, I can confirm... that it remains a complete mystery. There is absolutely no recorded trace of that language anywhere. I have tried translated it, but the absence of spaces between 'words' makes this task impossible. Therefore, we can only assume its content is the same as the rest. It took me some time, but here it is..." He opened his notebook, adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat...

"_When at last the favored children of the Storms should come together, as their blood is shed and their essences become one the Triumvirate shall finally retrieve the way to the Light and the Slayer line finally be destroyed."_

A heavy silence followed. The message, though obscure, sent a collective chill down everyone's spine. Anya was the first to talk. "Well, lookee here! It's another grim prophecy! I think it's fair to assume that the future is not bright..."

"Is that it?" asked Buffy. "Is that all it says? All those letters for just one sentence?"

"I'm afraid so. The length of the text and its configuration was what took me the longest to work out."

"'The Slayer line finally be destroyed'..." Tara started, intrigued. "D-does that mean that Buffy, Faith and Gayle are gonna die, o-or that there won't be any Chosen Ones any more?"

"Either way," Faith intervened, "I'm not liking it. At all."

"What's a 'try o' violets'?"

Spike smiled at his girl's innocence. "It's 'triumvirate', darling. It's Latin. It means..."

Willow eagerly raised her hand. "It's a political regime in which three people rule together, as equals. It's happened several times in history, like Julius Caesar, Pompey and Marcus Crassus during the Roman Empire, or the 'three men in a room' arrangement in New York. Even Napoleon started as part of a triumvirate."

"Well done, Red. Couldn't have said it better meself."

Willow blushed. Tara always found it adorable when her girlfriend blushed at praises. She always seemed to doubt she was brilliant. She placed a playful kiss on the redhead's throat.

"So, what," Xander asked, trying very hard to ignore what that display of affection was doing to his libido, "are we expecting ol' Julius to show up, see and conquer again?"

Giles put down his notebook. "It's highly unlikely. But I was just as intrigued as you are about that part. I did hear of a legend, when I was young... and so I looked into it." His face grew somber. "It come from Christian mythos. The original Christian mythos, not the one rewritten to better suit the powers of the Church. Now, we've all heard the story of The Fall, when Lucifer fell from Heaven and became the Ruler of Hell. We also know that he was not the only one to fall, he was followed by several legions of angels, who then supposedly became demons."

Buffy frowned. "'Supposedly'?"

"Yes. In fact, several angels evolved into different kinds of demons, modifying their appearance and powers, while others remained as they were created. They are simply known as Fallen Angels. This is also the title Lucifer is often referred to, although he did modify his appearance, but only slightly."

"The bat wings, right?" Xander beamed.

"Indeed. I believe his intent was to separate himself from the rest; quite like showing his troops who was in charge. But according to the legend I was referring to, he was not the only ruler of Hell..."

The entire gang gasped. Buffy scooted forward, but already she could feel a cold sweat forming in her back.

"Lucifer ruled alongside two others, his favorite siblings, for eons. Then something happened... some major event, but its nature is still unknown. What is known is that following this event, the Triumvirate was no more and Lucifer ruled alone."

"But what about the Succubi?" asked Anya. "We talked about that a while ago, Willow did the research! There's four of them, and they're married to Lucifer!"

"The Succubi rule over the earthly kingdom, not Hell. They never were included in their husband's government."

"But according to that slab, Lucy and Co are planning for a comeback..." Buffy pondered aloud. "And what about that storm business, any word on that?"

"Absolutely none. It could be a name as well as a metaphor."

"Whatever or whoever it is, it has kids. And... '_as their blood is shed and their essences become one'... _is it me or does that sound like a live sacrifice?"

"It most certainly does. I also placed a few calls, and there's another worrying detail... There is absolutely no trace, rumor, information, idea, innuendo, reference, link, or connection with any such prophecy anywhere. Nothing. Not a smidgen. I talked about the Triumvirate of Hell, but even that is not certain, it could be any other."

Faith's eyes went wide and she cried out: "Hey! Remember that chick Cordelia's visions? There were three people in them! Three! And all the other demons are afraid of them! That's the link! It must be the Triumvirate!"

Giles took off his glasses abruptly and stared at her.

"Faith!" exclaimed Buffy. "Well done!" She gave the brunette's hand a friendly squeeze.

"Thanks! I can't believe I actually just brought something to the research..."

Xander laughed. "Yeah, sorry about that, babe, the Scoobiness tends to rub off on people..."

Anya stiffened. "'Babe'? Why do you call her 'babe'?"

The boy gasped then swallowed hard. "Err, sure... we boys often call our female friends 'babe', Anya darling, love of my life. Happens all the time!"

"No, no it doesn't! I never heard you call Willow or Buffy or Tara 'babe'! Spike calls Buffy 'babe', Willow calls Tara 'babe'! Giles calls... well, nobody 'babe', because he has no sex life and is in dire need of one, D'Hoffryn knows he could use a few orgasms..."

Giles cleared his throat. "We're getting off subject here, people. I'll summarize: bad prophecy, future bleak, possible apocalypse, options please."

Buffy shrugged. "Simple. We're talking about the Devil: we know someone who knows someone. Spike, do you still have Abby's number?"

The vampire had already whipped out his cell. "On it." He dialed the number quickly...

_The number you have dialed does not exist... The number you have dialed does not exist... The number you..._

"What the...? It was still working a few days ago!"

The same thought went through everybody's mind. _That was bad. _That was very, very bad. The King of Hell's wife going missing on the same day that the Slayer finds out said king might be up to something fishy? That could not be a coincidence. And on the Hellmouth, if something is fishy and not a coincidence? Worry.

"Any other ideas?" asked Giles.

Buffy tried to think quickly. "Err... well... Oooh, Caleb!" She ignored Spike's growl. "He arrived in town at the same time as the slab, and he killed Drusilla who brought it to us!" She put her dainty hand on her lover's shoulder in support, and he relaxed, though he was still angry. "that's got to have something to do with it as well!"

Willow joined in: "Yeah, and you said he was quoting the Bible! He could be another Fallen! He could even be part of the Triumvirate! His name might not even be Caleb!"

"Lucifer, Caleb and that mystery woman who melts people" said Tara. "Sounds like an evil association to me."

Buffy was seriously beginning to worry. This was bigger than anything she'd ever gone up against. Even Glory. Lucifer was bound to not only be strong, but according to movies and the few books she'd read on the subject, he was extremely clever, and able to use magic. Oh, and he could fly...

She felt an arm snake around her waist. She turned her head and saw Spike's sapphire eyes looking into her in a manner meant to be reassuring. She smiled at him. How was it that he always seemed to know what she was feeling or even thinking? She knew it should freak her out, but she was beyond that point now. Everything with Spike felt natural and beautiful. And with him, she could conquer the world...

She took a deep breath and turned back to the group. "So the next step would be going back to Rico, I guess. He may have been lying the last time, of have new information."

"Oh, luv, you gonna pimp me out again?" Spike fake-whined.

She swatted his arm. "Fun-nyy. I was thinking of using our girl Gayle's talents. If you did such a good job last time, I think she might..."

Buffy suddenly realized that she hadn't heard or looked at Gayle since Giles had read out the translation. She wasn't sitting beside her anymore, and she scanned the room...

Gayle was standing near the table, staring at the slab, a faraway look on her face...

"G-girl?" Faith waved at her. "You with us?"

"Mmmh? Oh, yes, yes... Tell you what, you guys keep trying to make heads or tails of that thing, and I'll patrol tonight, okay?"

"But," Buffy pouted, "We needed you for enticing..."

"Faith will certainly be more enticing than me, or Spike in Gayle form. Have fun!"

She nearly ran out of the shop before anyone had a chance to say anything. Giles chuckled, but a dark look from Buffy kept him from saying anything nasty. "Aherm, so I believe we have a plan for tonight?"

"Yep. Us remaining sexy Slayers" she knocked fists with Faith, "are gonna go out on the town, see a few bars, use a little violence."

"Ooh, can I come too?" grinned the vampire.

"Wouldn't be a bloodbath without you, Blondie" said Faith, high-fiving him.

That was the second time today that Buffy did _not_ feel jealousy at a moment she usually would've. A week ago, she would probably have shouted at Faith, or waited for a moment alone with Spike to punch him on the nose. But she felt nothing. Not threatened, not jealous, not insecure... Somehow, she _knew_ she had nothing to fear.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the shop's phone ringing. Anya ran to answer it. "The Magic Box, the only place for all your... Okay." She held the phone out to Buffy. "It's for you."

Buffy jumped to her feet, thinking it might be Dawn, having ran into trouble again. "Hello?"

"Buffy, it's Cordelia."

The blonde sighed in relief. "Hey Cordy, what can I do for you?"

"You can start by sending our vampire back!"

A chill went down her spine. "Excuse me?"

"Sorry, that was a little harsh. I'm kinda getting stressed, here... But look, are you gonna need Angel much longer? 'Cos things are getting tough here without him..."

"Cordelia..."

"I know what you're gonna say, that he's a grown-up, like very much so, and that I should be talking to him. But I can picture it from here, he's maybe too afraid to leave you when he knows danger is afoot, but we have our trouble here too, and a lot of it! The demon population is starting to get problematic!"

"Erm, Cordy..."

"I tried to call him direct, but all I get is his voice mail! Has he forgotten to recharge his cell phone again? I swear, this dude has to be dragged into the twenty-first century! Could someone slap him for me?"

"Cordelia! Angel isn't here..."

"Look, I know it's daytime, but wake him up! He's in dire need of a good telling to and I'm just the woman for the job!"

"No, I mean, he's not here in Sunnydale."

"… What?"

"He's left, like a couple of days ago!"

"He can't have! If he had, he would be here!"

"Your logic is faultless."

"Was he going somewhere else first? What did he say before leaving?"

"No, he didn't say anything at all, he just left without even..." realization hit her, "... without saying goodbye. Cordelia, I think something's happened to Angel!"

The whole gang gasped. Then Anya seized Xander's arm:

"Oh my god, you had sex with Faith, didn't you? That's why you called her 'babe'! Oh my, how many orgasms did you get with _her_?"

_…-=(~/\~)=-…_

A few blocks away, Gayle was running as fast as she could without revealing her nature. She finally came to a small cul-de-sac, and checked it was empty before stopping.

She leaned against the wall to steady herself. She concentrated... darn, she hadn't done this in years! She felt the power flow through her veins. She brought her hands together in a prayer fashion, rubbed them hard and fast, finally opening them in a cupping manner. A blue flame with a golden rim grew from her palms. She stared into it, almost through it...

"Sam!" she called into the flame. "Sam!" she called again, but nothing happened. She growled: "Sam, you get your firey butt right here this instant or I swear – "

"Yes, my dear sis, you growled?"

Sam had just appeared at her side. She clapped her hands and the flame vanished. She pivoted to face him and bore into his eyes, looking furious. "This is your doing, isn't it?"

"It usually is. Just what, exactly, is 'it'?"

"Don't start trying to act coy, Sam, I'm not in the mood!"

"Now, what did we say last time about your tone –"

Gayle stomped her foot in anger: "And don't start you diva act either! May I remind you that we were both in the same sinking boat, you don't get to play mob boss with me!"

Sam was taken aback. He had rarely seen his sister in such a mood, and decided the situation must be too serious to discuss hierarchy. "Allright. What do you wanna know?"

"I wanna know what you're up to!"

"Wow, that might be a bit too vast a subject. Care to narrow it down?"

"The slab! The Rosettagon!"

"...You've actually lost me there..."

"Stop it! You show up the other day, just when an artifact with our language on it appears –"

"Wow, wow, stop right there! _Our _language? How is that possible?"

Gayle stayed gobsmacked at his reaction. "Oh my god... you really don't know, do you? You actually don't have a clue..."

"No... and it's a really strange feeling, lemme tell you..."

"Oh my god... if you don't know... ohmygodohmygodohmygod..." She started pacing, panting and shaking her hands.

"Okay, now, don't panic..."

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod..."

"And stop that!"

"Sorry."

"Now, take a deep breath," he waited as she did, "and relax. Whatever it is, we'll face it. I'm here, I'll help you, and who's more powerful than me?"

Gayle raised an eyebrow and almost smiled. "Right here?"

"Oh, dream on!"

"I can still kick your ass anytime!"

"No you can't!"

"Can too!"

"Ah, now you're smiling! Damn I'm good!"

Gayle grumbled a bit, but couldn't hide her laugh.

"Okay," Sam continued, "now tell me what's going on."

Gayle sighed again. "Okay. The Slayer has received an ancient slab of stone a while ago..."

Sam remained still and let his sister tell her tale. "And you say the seventh part is in our language?"

"Yes."

"... this must be the first time it's ever been seen by mortals. Not sure if that's bad or not. What was the text about?"

Gayle sighed. "It's a prophecy, of course. What else could it be on the Hellmouth?"

"Okay, a prophecy. So something terribly vague and unhelpful, but dangerous. What else can you tell me?"

"Pff, it's like a rough draft, didn't make much sense... Something about the Light and the Triumvirate..."

"Which Triumvirate? _The_ Triumvirate?"

"Beats me. Could be."

"That's like ancient!"

"You're telling me..."

"Phew. And what else?"

"Lemme remember... '_the favored children of the _–_'_ " She stopped abruptly and sharply sucked in a breath. "OOOOOH!"

"What?"

"Oh my goodness... it's been so long..."

"What has?"

Gayle started laughing and jumping on the spot. "The text! I knew it felt familiar! Oh my, oh my!"

"Sis? You're actually scaring me, and that in itself is a scary concept..."

"It's not a prophecy, it's a prediction! _My _prediction! Oh, it's finally over..." her voice faltered with emotion on the last words.

"You mean...? Oh, my..." Sam covered his mouth in shock.

Gayle's eyes were rimmed with tears of joy. "I knew it! I felt it! It's Spike and Buffy… they'll bring that cursed Slayer line to an end at last…"

_End of Chapter Seventeen_

_**The plot thickens...let me know what you think... I live for your reviews, I do...**_


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